Systems Upgrade
by Torrentiality
Summary: Sequel to "Glitch in the System." Months have passed since the incident at Phoenix. Jade, Tori, & the gang are enjoying their new freedom. Not all is well though - Jade struggles with a crippling injury and someone else has taken a keen interest in Tori. After she's kidnapped the race is on once again - will Jade be able to rescue Tori before she's lost forever? JORI :)
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Well… here we go again. Part II of the 'Horsemen Series' … or whatever I'm calling it until I find a name I like. If you haven't read the first, I strongly suggest you do. You'll be lost otherwise : ) **

**I hope you guys can bear with me – the last story had been mapped out for months when I started writing. This one is a WIP as far as plot goes … Newsies (my wingman… well, I hope he's okay being my wingman) is my go-to man as far as brainstorming goes. Get pumped, Newsies. I am. **

**Without further ado, Part II – Systems Upgrade**

* * *

**[2052]**

**Three months ago, Jade West stumbled upon a secret that would change her entire life. In a forgotten room in a long abandoned factory she discovered her grandfather's proudest and dearest accomplishment, Tori Vega, a young cyborg whose existence inspired an insidious plot that would ultimately bring about Armageddon. At the moment of her discovery a race began – Jade and Tori scrambled for freedom, for sanctuary against those that hunted them, while the ruling powers sought to capture them both, ensuring their dark secrets would remain buried. **

**With the help of friends the two girls were able to escape, exacting their revenge in the process. Bloodied and broken they retreated to safety to recover, to build a life they had both been denied. Things have never been better.**

**A storm, however, is brewing just beyond the horizon and once again Jade and Tori find themselves directly in its path. **

* * *

Jade sucked air through her teeth as she stifled a whimper of pain, not wanting to disturb her lover passed out beside her. The pale girl rested against the headboard, barely illuminated by the nightlight weakly glowing in the bathroom. Tori was face-down on the pillow next to her, muttering lightly in her sleep, a curtain of hair covering her face. Her arm was half draped across Jade's lap, robotic fingers twitching as she dreamed. They were both naked, and Jade shivered in the night air; winter was well on its way. She had never experienced a Canadian winter before, having become quite fond of the mild California weather all year-round. So far she wasn't a fan.

With her good hand she dragged a jacket off the floor and pulled it around her bare shoulders, making a mental note to not hurl their pajamas across the room in the throes of passion when the temperature was dropping. It made it incredibly difficult to motivate herself to get up in the mornings when it was chilly and her shirt lay crumpled in a chair ten feet away. Comfortable for the time being, the scientist returned her attention to the reason she was awake in the first place, and not resting comfortably in the Latina's warm embrace.

Her hand was throbbing.

The cast had come off a few weeks ago. She had been in physical therapy since, trying to restore strength and dexterity to her crippled hand. It was a slow, frustrating process that seemed to be getting her nowhere fast. The doctors encouraged her to continue treatment, promising that, over time, she would regain most of the function she had once possessed. _Most_.

But they didn't have to deal with the pain. With such extensive nerve and tissue damage Jade would often be struck with a sudden ache, one that was almost crippling. It felt as if someone was grinding the bones with a cheese-grater, or like the muscles had been stretched too far and were snapping like rotten rubber-bands under her skin. It was frustrating, excruciating, and made her want to give up therapy all together. It was at its worst at night, when the muscles seized up with inactivity. She often found herself sitting up silently trying to work out the pain.

Tori's hand twitched again in her lap and Jade scowled, envious of the cyber-prosthesis that functioned without pain, that operated without feasible limitation. The two had been arguing since the cast was removed – Jade wanted to amputate the hand at the wrist and install a mechanical prosthesis of her own. She was tired of the pain that, more often than not, was so intense it made her want to vomit. Tori adamantly disagreed, urging her girlfriend to continue with therapy. It was going to take time, she argued, her injuries had been serious. She was lucky Chase hadn't ripped her whole hand off.

At this point, Jade wished he had.

She turned her gaze back to her weakened and scarred appendage. Her fingers were fully extended, a rubber band loosely wrapped around them. She slowly began to spread the digits, the tension in the elastic providing a slight resistance – this was supposed to build back her muscle, which had been atrophying for weeks in that cast. The more she did it, the better off she would be (said the doctors).

Mostly, it just hurt like a motherfucker. She couldn't detect any improvement.

Suddenly her hand locked up, frozen in a hideous claw-like position. Her muscles and tendons burned under her skin and she whimpered, biting the knuckle on her other hand to muffle herself. The damage was done though; Tori awoke with a start, pushing herself upright and focusing a sleepy gaze on the paler girl. "S'everything okay?" She yawned, tugging the covers over her chest and tucking them under her arms once she realized she was still nude. "Your hand again?" She frowned, taking it gently in hers and massaging her tender joints.

Jade nodded, finding herself inexplicably frustrated with Tori. The brunette was the one thing standing in her way at this point and, despite her good intentions, Jade was tired of it. "Aching like always." She grumbled, wincing as Tori hit a few sore spots.

Tori frowned, well acquainted with Jade's cranky tones by this point. "Maybe it's the cold. We'll go back to Dr. Crenshaw in the morning and see if he can help."

"You know he can't, Tor." Jade sighed, sliding back under the covers and lifting her arm, allowing the older girl to rest her head on her shoulder. Jade wrapped an arm around Tori's waist and watched with mild apprehension as she massaged her wounded hand between hers.

"Maybe he can." She replied softly. Jade felt her titanium hand begin to radiate heat – a trick she'd apparently learned a few years ago. With her hand toasting warmly between Tori's the unbearable pain began to fade.

"Doubt it." She decided she wasn't going to allow Tori the final word tonight. She wasn't in the mood to be hopeful. She pulled her hand free of the cyborg's grasp and slipped it under the covers, resting it just above her navel. Tori, undeterred, found it again and laced their fingers together; she nodded off again still emitting a soothing warmth.

* * *

Hours later Tori stepped into the midday sun, squinting. For the past three hours she'd been hunkered down in a dimly lit study reviewing her blueprints with Norris, one of the town's founders. He had worked at NASA shortly before Armageddon and had been a godsend as far as understanding Patrick's plans; he was the only one Tori found herself comfortable discussing such sensitive materials.

Upon arrival at Sanctum, study of Tori's schematics had been neglected. Everyone, Jade and Tori especially, had wanted to enjoy their new freedom – not bury their noses in Tori's history and be reminded of the dark secrets that had just been uncovered. They wanted to be regular kids. Besides, Jade's recovery had been a big issue and a lot of their energy had focused on that.

Consequently, it had only been in the past month or so that Tori had taken Norris up on his offer to help her decode and translate Patrick's notes and designs – it all went over Tori's head. Even Jade struggled with the information, and she had been versed in "tech-speak" since she was young. Normally the pair made the walk to the older man's house together, it being just as much Jade's business as hers, but today the injured girl had a doctor's appointment to discuss further treatment for her hand.

Tori frowned as her thoughts wandered to their current predicament; she felt like she was holding the leash of a charging dog chasing a wounded squirrel. Jade was practically foaming at the bit to take such a drastic measure and Tori simply couldn't understand it. She remembered the pain she had endured having two limbs amputated and replaced, the diseases and illnesses she contracted from taking immunosuppressants so the prostheses would take, the arduous months of therapy she had to undergo.

It was absolute hell.

She desperately wished Jade would listen to her; for once Tori actually had experience in something her girlfriend didn't. The pain she might be enduring now would be nothing compared to the agony she'd face if she followed in Tori's footsteps. So they fought, and they fought a lot. Neither refused to budge on the issue and, after facing stalemate after stalemate, Tori feared Jade was losing patience. She worried Jade would come home one evening with a new hand despite her pleas.

"Tori!" A voice snapped her out of her reverie, and she spied Andre leaving a local market. At hearing her name a few people turned, beaming and waving at the Latina. She was still something of a local celebrity, being the only cyborg in their midst. People often approached her and Jade while they were out just to chat, much to the annoyance of the anti-social girl. Tori thought it was flattering, if a little unnerving, and gladly humored them. "Need some help? Stuff looks a little heavy." Andre offered, reaching to help alleviate the burden from her box of files.

"Thanks." Tori smiled. Andre hefted the container from her arms and nearly toppled backwards under the weight.

"Damn… Forgot you aren't like regular girls." He wheezed, grappling with the edges and taking a hesitant step forward. "Which box is this?"

"Number two. Just two more after this." Including the giant box they had dragged from Phoenix's archives, they had remembered to grab the rest of the stuff Jade had found in Patrick's secret room.

"Find out anything yet? Did we finally uncover the reason you survived a major zap?"

"Actually…" Tori smiled. "I think we may be onto something. Patrick apparently coated all my electronic insides with a specifically designed film… gel… stuff that doesn't conduct electricity. It blocked the majority of the damage."

Andre raised his brow. "That's what saved you? That's it?"

Her face fell. "Well… that's part of it. I'm sure there's other stuff. I mean, I've still got to go through the rest of that box, and there're two others." She was disappointed that he wasn't as excited as she had been when they had first discovered that. She supposed she shouldn't hold it against him though – after all, he wasn't into the technology stuff. He was a musician.

"I didn't mean for it to sound like that, Tori." He apologized, bumping her shoulder with his own. "It's just… from how Jade tells it, you came back from the dead. I was hoping it'd be a little more climactic than that, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah." Tori smiled, shrugging off her disappointment. "That story gets more epic every time she tells it. Next time I'm sure I'll fight off a horde of ninjas."

"Or a mecha-triceratops. With cannons for horns. From Boston."

The pair spent the remainder of their walk discussing potential villains for Tori to battle and, by the time they arrived home, they were struggling for air through their laughter.

"What are you clowns chuckling at?" Jade was home and very obviously in a bad mood. Tori frowned – the doctor must have given her news she didn't want to hear. She reclined in a patio chair, rolling her lit cigarette between her fingers. A pack lay crushed on the ground, a handful of butts discarded around her.

"Well good afternoon to you too, sunshine." Andre chimed, depositing the box on the front steps. He was clearly aware of her sour disposition and didn't plan on sticking around. "I'm going to see if I can't find Cat in town. She's been trying to convince some of the neighbors to take her to find a moose. I need to try and curb her enthusiasm before someone takes her out there and leaves her." He punched Tori in the arm lightly and gave her an encouraging nod before retracing their steps, disappearing around the corner in the direction of town.

Tori watched him go, wishing she could follow. Dealing with an angry Jade was often nerve-wrecking, and she could tell this occasion would be no different. Reluctantly she began her ascent up the stairs and leaned against the railing, judging herself to be a safe distance from any explosive, violent outbursts. "You think after the world almost ends people would kind of forget about cigarettes and focus on more important things." She joked, shoving her hands in her front pockets. Jade stared at her, unblinking, as she took another deep drag. She pursed her lips and exhaled, a white stream billowing in Tori's direction. She was decidedly unamused.

"Um… how was the doctor? Good news?" _Why are you still talking? Run. Run while you can._ That small voice in her brain cried.

"Yes, it was excellent news at the physician – that's why I've smoked 12 cigarettes in the past hour and dumped a bowl of soup in Robbie's lap." Jade drawled in that accent that was supposed to resemble Tori's own.

The Latina knitted her brows and huffed angrily. "You know I don't talk like that." She breathed, snatching her hands from her pocket and crossing her arms defensively. A lopsided smirk flashed briefly across Jade's face before the scowl returned. _Misery loves company_. Tori reminded herself as she bolstered for the next attack. "Well, what did he have to say?"

Jade shook her head as she dug in her coat for another pack of cigarettes, ripping open the box and lighting the end of one with the dying cherry of her current one. She flicked the butt in the direction of the plastic tub at the foot of the stairs. "Find out anything new today?" Tori happily accepted her less than subtle change in subject, if only for the moment; she was excited to tell Jade what she'd learned, knowing the scientist would appreciate the information.

"Shock-resistant gel coating around my circuitry." Tori explained, retrieving a notepad from the box and passing it to her. She'd written down the technical details as they found them. Cigarette dangling from her lips, Jade snatched the pad and scanned the page, nodding as she did so.

"That's pretty simple… pretty effective though, judging by the experiments. Finish up the box today?"

"Yeah. I'll probably catch up with him next week to start a new one." Tori nodded as Jade flipped through the pages, resisting the urge to perch on the armrest next to her and read over her shoulder. Panther-Jade was still prowling beneath the surface and ready to pounce. "Want to come with? Norris hasn't seen you for a while. He wants your opinion on something he's working on." Stroking her ego often helped soothe her temper, Tori had learned.

Jade didn't glance up, focusing far too intently on the words in front of her. Tori sighed and shook her head, dark curls bouncing lazily. The pale girl had seen straight through her attempts this time. "Give it some thought." She said, hefting the box into her arms and heading towards the door. "It's my turn to cook dinner tonight – I'd love some help, pretty girl."

The door clacked shut behind her and Jade finally tore her unfocused gaze from the notepad. She hadn't been reading the information anyway, she just needed something to hide behind. She tossed the book into the chair to her right pushed herself to her feet, staggering with the sudden wave of lightheadness and nausea that hit her. She groaned and squeezed her eyes shut till it passed, knowing she had overdone it on the smoking for the evening.

She took a deep breath to bolster herself and took the steps two at a time before adopting a brisk pace around the corner of the house, making a beeline for the edge of the lake for solitude. She eased herself down onto a low stump and crossed her legs, staring angrily out across the scenic landscape. "Stupid Canada. Stupid doctors." She stared down at her hand tucked gently against her chest. "Stupid hand."

Crenshaw hadn't offered her any promising news, just the same garbage he always spouted: keep up with therapy and things can only improve. You're not going to get back to 100%, Jade, but we'll get as close as we can.

Jade refused to accept anything less than 100% - she couldn't live with the pain, the lack of dexterity. She wanted her hand back, the one that could hold a screwdriver or soldering-iron without cramping, the one that wouldn't start shuddering and seizing at odd intervals, the one that could gently cup her lover's face while her other was … busy elsewhere. She was handicapped with this broken appendage.

That wasn't what was frustrating her though; Crenshaw's news was business as usual. No, today had been different. _If you're not pleased with our current treatment… there may be another option._ Crenshaw had informed, immediately sparking Jade's curiosity. _I know you've been eager to opt for a cyberkinetic prosthesis… we may have the means to provide you with that now. A doctor is en route to Sanctum. I haven't been informed on all the details, but he's just been released from incarceration. Prosthetics are his specialty. We can arrange a meeting with him if you like, he should be here …_

Jade had interrupted with a resounding _YES_. Yes, she wanted to meet the man that could fix her, provide her with the opportunities these quacks couldn't. She'd planned to meet with him as soon as he arrived in town a few days from now. For the first time in weeks the injured girl had left the doctor's office with a smile on her face, and that smile had lasted until she got home.

Then she remembered Tori.

Tori and her reluctance to entertain the idea. Tori and her adamancy she remain fully human. Tori and those stupid gorgeous stupid deep stupid eyes that would plead with her until she capitulated.

Her mood had immediately darkened. She had dug through her room and Beck's to find any and all nicotine there was and planted herself on the front porch to seethe and plot. Mostly seethe. Now, however, she realized the clock was counting down: the doctor would be here in a few days' time and she needed, _wanted_, Tori's approval before she pursued any treatment. That was going to be the challenge.

A sudden gust of wind cut through the thin fabric of her jacket, causing Jade to shiver and turn her back to the wind. Dark clouds climbed over the horizon – a storm was coming, and would probably be at their door by nightfall. With a frustrated sigh she climbed to her feet again; brilliance wouldn't strike her now, not with the mood she was in. She'd sleep on it and tackle it early in the morning. The best she could do tonight was be as sweet as she could be in hopes of luring Tori into a more receptive state of mind.

* * *

Jade pressed her chest into Tori's back as the Latina labored over the stove and watched with mild amusement as her grip on her spoon tightened apprehensively, her body following suit. "Have I told you how good you look in that apron?" She purred into her ear, reaching around and tracing the looping pattern on the fabric over Tori's chest.

"You're up to something." Tori replied cautiously, intertwining their fingers and holding them in place.

"It's a rare occasion I'm pleasant so soon after a bad mood. Do you really want to question it?" She pushed her low ponytail aside and ghosted kisses across the back of her neck, causing the older girl to shiver against her.

"With anyone else I wouldn't." Tori breathed, turning to face the younger girl; her jaw was clenched as she tried to maintain composure, but Jade saw desire dancing in her copper eyes. "But you're rarely pleasant at all. I have every right to question it."

Damn. This was the one thing Jade missed about dating a boy – they tended to lose focus on all else as soon as blood drained out of the brain in their skull. Tori was clearly suspicious and trying her best to resist temptation… It wouldn't be long before she submitted though. Jade always won in the end – she knew where to kiss, where to dance her fingertips, where to apply the right amount of friction to strike her companion senseless. It was a game… A game she had gotten very good at.

"The more you worry about it the less you're going to enjoy this evening." Jade whispered, her lips making brief contact with Tori's. She dropped her arm down and tightened it around the Latina's waist, unknotting the apron before sliding her hand up her shirt.

"Jade." She warned weakly.

She dug her nails lightly into the tender flesh below Tori's internal access panel, smirking triumphantly as she watched Tori's head tilt back and her eyes flutter closed. She took the opportunity to attach her lips to her tan neck, nipping lightly at the pulse point and reveling in the sounds she began to make. _Almost there_. The game was almost over – Tori could barely contain coherent thought, let alone suspect any trickery.

As she continued her assault on her throat, Jade felt a hand tugging at the waist of her pants. She shifted to give Tori better access and felt a sudden sag as the cyborg managed to both unbutton and unzip them. The pale girl froze as delicate fingers brushed across the most sensitive of areas and she rested her head against Tori's collarbone as her knees began to quake. "Leave this for Beck. I'm sure he won't mind cooking again tonight." She breathed.

Tori cupped Jade's chin and raised her head and stared at her under hooded lids, searching her still. Jade removed her hand from her waist and grabbed the back of the Latina's neck, crashing their lips together. The last of her resistance melted away and, in an act of animalistic passion, she effortlessly hefted Jade into her arms and headed towards the stairs and the privacy of their own bedroom.

_Works every time. _Jade thought triumphantly as Tori tossed her onto the bed, pulling her apron and shirt over her head. Her entire purpose of seducing her girlfriend was forgotten, however, as the Latina climbed on top of her and tugged down her pants.

* * *

Tori's hands knotted in Jade's fuchsia-streaked hair one final time as her hips bucked and she threw her head back heavily into the pillow. "God,_ JADE!_" She moaned, her body shaking as she rode out a wave of ecstasy. A smug Jade pushed herself up with her good hand, trailing kisses up her glistening, tan torso before collapsing next to her. Tori's chest heaved and she forced her eyes open, an exhausted smile spreading across her face. "That…"

"Probably got the neighbors' attention." Jade smirked, tugging the Latina closer to her as her already deep flush spread further down her throat. She gingerly took Tori's hand in her injured own and laced their fingers as she leaned, breathing hot air into her ear. "Wish I knew Spanish so I could understand what you were screaming." She licked the ridge of her ear before nibbling on the lobe. Tori giggled and tightened her grip on the hand in hers suddenly, eliciting a wounded yelp from her lover.

Sharp pain radiated up Jade's arm and she jerked away, cradling her hand against her chest and clenching her eyes shut. She took a deep, shuddering breath and held it, willing the pain away. "Oh, Jade. I'm so sorry." Tori apologized hurriedly, pushing herself up and glancing towards the nightstand. "I completely forgot. I'm sorry. I think your pain meds are just over – "

"No, it's fine. I'll be fine." Jade shook her head, flexing her fingers gently as the stabbing sensations began to fade to a dull, burning ache. "Just going to have to get used to it, I guess." Her eyes snapped open as the conversation with Crenshaw came trickling back. _Oh right._ She mentally facepalmed. There had been a reason she had seduced Tori despite being in a horrible mood all day. She glanced at her injured hand before turning her attention to the Latina still hovering worriedly over her.

Lines of concern deepened. "Get used to it?" She breathed, easing herself onto her side gently. She tugged a sheet over their naked bodies and cuddled close, mindful of Jade's hand. "Is that what the doctor said?"

"Something like that." Okay, so it was only a half-lie. "He said to never expect it back to 100%. Looks like I'm stuck with the claw." She examined her scarred hand in the dim light, glancing between her extended fingers to gauge Tori's reaction. The Latina was frowning. "It wouldn't be so bad if it didn't hurt all the time." The frown deepened, and for a fraction of a second Jade felt the pangs of remorse; normally she had no problem manipulating those around her. In fact, she was an expert at deception and coercion; they were skills that came easy and ones she prided herself on.

It troubled her, however, Tori was the victim. A tiny voice in the back of her mind began to chastise her. She imagined it was her conscience – something she thought she'd killed off years ago. It nagged and nagged and nagged, encouraging her to do the right thing. Sometimes it made enough noise Jade couldn't focus on anything else.

But that didn't mean she always listened to it, and it didn't mean that she would now either.

"Crenshaw offered the cyborg option again." She muttered quietly. Tori sighed and rolled onto her back, focusing her attention on the ceiling.

"Jade – "

"Tori." Jade interrupted, knowing if she could continue she had a better chance of winning her over. "It's a serious procedure, I know that. I'm not discrediting that. But I can't keep living like this – "

"You don't know how serious it is." The Latina said, causing Jade to curse inwardly. "I still have ghost pains sometimes… and that doesn't compare at all to the procedure I had to go through. I was on immunosuppressants for months. I got two really bad infections that almost killed me. I was in so much pain that no amount of morphine could ease it… and that was with a whole team of experts in facilities specifically designed for my treatment. You don't have any of that… our "hospital" here can barely handle anything worse than a nasty case of the flu. If you got sick and they couldn't take care of you…" She trailed off, biting her bottom lip. "If we couldn't get you to someone who could… I'm worried, is all. I just think it's going to be more trouble than you realize, more than you can handle."

Jade bristled. She knew Tori meant well, but she deserved more credit than she was being allowed. "And if you hadn't gone through the operations you would have died. Point 1 for cyber-prostheses." She replied quietly, watching as the gears turned in Tori's mind.

"I would have… but you won't."

Jade groaned and pushed herself up. This is, without fail, how this conversation always went. "I think I need a shower… Maybe see if Beck needs help in the kitchen." The sheet fell away as she rolled out of bed and she shivered in the chilled room. Part of her desperately yearned to crawl back into her lover's arms but a larger part protested. Why would she want to take comfort if the arms of someone who wasn't even trying to understand the pain she was going through?

"Jade."

"Just leave it alone, Tor." The bathroom door clicked shut behind her and she leaned against it, releasing a deep exhale. She turned on the shower and stepped into the running water before it had warmed, needing a distraction to quell the rage boiling in her heart. Jade was quickly running out of ideas and, more importantly, patience.

She had hoped to win Tori over to her side before she agreed to the surgery some way or another – she'd much prefer to have someone so important to her support her decision. But at every turn she was denied, at every attempt she was shot down. She was slowly arriving at the point where she wasn't concerned with what the cyborg thought about the situation anymore.

After all, it was _her_ body. Tori would just have to accept it.

* * *

**And so concludes chapter 1. Thoughts? Concerns? **

**Is Jade really going to go through with it without Tori's permission? ... Probably.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Happy New Year's Eve! Party hardy, party safe. I'll be freezing my ass off at a bonfire as we race a storm to 2013. I'm pumped (I'm not. I'm cold and old and just want to sleep). Also - someone informed me that apparently my tumblr didn't pop up a few weeks ago when I tried to post it - letslumberingdragonslie is my handle. But I haven't been on it recently becaaause... well, I'm not procrastinating anything right now. **

**Anyway, a bit of a slow chapter but an absolutely necessary one. We get a little more character development from Cat!  
**

**NEWSIES. Where ARE YOU?**

* * *

Tori waited until she heard the water splashing before she reluctantly climbed out of bed, her knees still weak from their recent love affair. She dug around the sheets for her clothes and grabbed her apron off the doorknob before trudging down the stairs, a frown firmly plastered on her face.

"Hi-hi!" Cat greeted. The redhead had climbed up onto the counter and was staring into Tori's abandoned pans curiously, her legs swinging back and forth absently. "Andre said Jade was in a really bad mood… I was worried she'd chopped you into bits and thrown you into dinner." She picked up the knife Tori's been using earlier to cut potatoes and imitated a frantic chopping motion in the air. "But you're fine." She beamed.

"Yeah… I'm just going to… Give me that." Tori delicately plucked the knife from Cat's hand. There was an unspoken rule among the house that the bubbly girl wasn't permitted to hold anything sharp, hot, or anything else that might otherwise accidentally harm herself or others. Despite having lived together for months now, something about Cat still concerned her. Jade and Andre had assured her that she was quite harmless – just a few screws were loose here and there – and that her condition could be easily explained. It wasn't, however, their place to discuss. All she knew is that it had to do with the events she and her family, her brother in particular, faced directly after Armageddon.

"Is Jade around? How did her doctor's appointment go?" The small girl was apparently unfazed by Tori's actions, instead retrieving an assortment of spices from the counter and sniffing them.

"Not well." Tori was grim as she re-lit the stove, the conversation she'd just had upstairs painfully fresh in her mind. "Crenshaw says she's never going to regain full movement. He keeps suggesting the cyborg route. I wish he'd drop it."

"Why?" She asked curiously, watching as Tori plucked the bowl of dried cilantro from her hand and upended the contents into her pot.

"It's just too dangerous." Tori frowned again and paused mid-stir. "Don't you think so?"

Cat stared at her and Tori could see the neurons firing. A silence fell between them as the smaller girl cocked her head to the side, red hair tumbling over her shoulders and swaying as her legs continued to rock to and fro. Suddenly she stilled and righted herself, staring intently. "No."

Tori blinked at her. "No?"

"It's risky." She nodded vigorously. "But worth it. Jade's in a lot of pain."

"But… not just risky. Without-a-doubt dangerous. The procedure could really hurt her, Cat."

"She's already hurting though."

Tori felt like she was explaining a very complicated concept to a small child. "Fair point… but – "

"Have I told you about my brother?" She interjected suddenly, pinching a bit of cumin into Tori's boiling concoction and sniffing her fingertips.

"Um… no?" She was thrown off by the abrupt subject change. "You've mentioned a few stories here and there…" Cat shook her head, silencing her.

"He used to be normal… He was a really nice guy, Kevin. I think you would have liked him. He was one of my favorite people in the world." Cat's chewed on her lip and looked down, examining her nails. Tori frowned. Her voice was saturated with sadness, an emotion she could rarely attribute to the younger girl. It was unnerving to see her this way. "When he was 18 he wrecked his car really bad. No seatbelt – went right through the windshield. It messed up his head," She rapped two knuckles against her forehead to illustrate. "He was in a coma for a long time. But then he woke up. We thought everything was going to be okay."

Tori busied herself with the burner, adjusting the heat and stirring the pot… finding anything she could do to not stare at the other girl. "But it wasn't." She mumbled.

"It wasn't." Cat confirmed with a slight bob of her head. "He wasn't. Because of his brain trauma he developed Central Pain Syndrome. It made him hurt all the time." Tori swallowed – she knew exactly what the condition was, she had been diagnosed with it shortly after she woke up. Patrick had hired the best neurosurgeon to work with him to repair the damage to her brain. "We planned surgery for him once we realized what it was. It was scheduled for October 17, 2046."

Tori dipped her head, hiding her face behind a curtain of messy hair. _Armageddon_. She wished Cat would stop right here – she didn't want to know how the story ended. She was sure it wasn't happy.

"Surgery was the last thing on anyone's mind." She continued. Tori looked at her and Cat forced a sad smile. "We made him as comfortable as we could… but you know. The world was going to hell. There wasn't much we could do. He convinced us that he could bear it. After a few months the pain began to drive him insane. Mom… Mom got sick that December. Pneumonia. With no hospitals … Well. She died. It didn't help his state of mind. He got really weird… he started having all these violent outbursts, stopped talking to us… I got really scared. The next year, though, dad found out about an emergency clinic, one with surgeons. One of them was the doctor that was going to operate on Kevin originally. Doc met with us, decided it would be a good idea to attempt surgery. It'd be risky, but if it worked it'd make all the pain go away."

"It didn't work?" Tori guessed. Cat, whose eyes had been trained blankly on her feet, slowly returned her gaze to the Latina's face. She shrugged her shoulders almost imperceptibly.

"Don't know. Dad wouldn't let him try… he said a lot of the same things you're saying. Too dangerous. Not worth the risk. We'd just lost mom. We can work through it. I even agreed with him… but things only got worse. His pain got worse. He and dad fought a lot. I didn't recognize my own brother anymore. He just… wasn't there. When he started having the episodes he turned into a monster."

"Episodes?" Tori didn't want to know, but couldn't stop herself from asking.

"That's what dad called them. He wouldn't tell me much more than that… Only thing I can guess now is that the physical pain and the emotional trauma from mom dying and Armageddon really messed him up. He'd get really violent when the pain got bad… I watched him go after my dad with a knife one time. When he calmed down he didn't remember a thing." Her eyes flickered to the knife on the counter and she pushed it away, as if she worried it would jump up and bite her.

"So what happened to him?"

"He killed himself when I was 18." It was eerie how composed Cat was, how deadpanned she had become during the course of the story. Tori could only imagine how often she replayed the events in her mind and how, maybe, her odd behavior and enthusiasm for life was her attempt to compensate for the sadness she must often feel. She wouldn't have been the least bit surprised if the grief had addled her mental stability, maybe not to the extent that it had her brother's… but still.

"Cat… I'm so sorry." What words could she offer? She stood there stupidly, biting her lip as she cautiously reached out and put her hand on her knee.

"Yeah… me too." Cat squeezed her hand between her own. "But he's not hurting anymore, and he's with my mom. I try to remember that when I get sad. But now Jade's hurting." Tori frowned, easily able to imagine her girlfriend in Kevin's place. She could see how she easily slipped into Mr. Valentine's role. "I don't think the pain will ever drive her crazy. But she does hurt, and it is affecting her. And I really don't want her to resent anyone. I know you care about her, Tori. We all know. But you're standing in her way, and she _will_ hold a grudge if the opportunity comes and goes and she doesn't get a chance to take it."

"But – "

"Instead of just saying no, try listening to her. Really listening. Talk to her doctors. Explore treatment options. Maybe things could go better than you think. I really don't like watching you two fight… it brings up a lot of bad memories." The redhead slid off the counter and walked to the fridge, retrieving a canteen of water and taking a few sips.

"If I knew 100% it'd be successful I'd be fine with it. I just don't want anything to happen to her, Cat. I'm scared of losing her."

Cat turned and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, smiling sadly. "I guess that's the point though, Tori. You might risk losing her either way." She handed the older girl the container and nodded to the stove. "You're boiling over."

The brunette cursed softly in Spanish and rushed back to her pots, extinguishing the eyes. She grabbed a dishtowel to mop up the mess and turned to speak to Cat again, only to find her gone. She heard the front door shut seconds later and the gravity of her final words slammed into her. _You might risk losing her either way._ She tossed the towel into the sink and ran the tap, staring through the splashing water as her thoughts rushed past in a similar torrent. They had been arguing, that was undeniable, but Tori had never considered losing Jade over this. Cat's story had given new weight to the situation, one she couldn't forget, couldn't ignore. They couldn't continue existing in a perpetual stalemate – someone was going to have to change their mind at some point for them to continue existing as a couple.

Question was – who was going to crack first? And what was it going to take to get them there?

* * *

Jade was unnervingly quiet for the next few days and had firmly taken to sleeping on her side of the bed, despite Tori's attempts to coax her over. She held little to no conversation with anyone in the house, least of all her girlfriend. When she did speak it was blunt and, often times, rude. Tori knew she was upset, knew the Ice Queen had cometh and had built walls a hundred feet high and fifty feet thick. It was going to take time and patience for the defenses to melt away before Tori could again approach her about the cyborg issue.

In the meantime Tori considered Cat's advice. She had no choice but to – with Jade having retreated into herself Tori was consumed with anxiety. The silent treatment was exhausting her and she knew she needed to talk to Jade sooner rather than later. "Jade?" The cyborg called from the couch. The girl in question was stomping down the stairs, heavy boots and coat indicating that she was preparing to head out. "Can we talk?

Jade didn't miss a beat. "Nope." She replied coolly, disappearing out the door. Tori groaned and threw herself down on the couch, dragging a pillow over her face.

_I hate this_. She thought glumly. _It has to end._ Tonight. Tonight she'd make Jade talk.

* * *

Jade hunched her shoulders against the weather – strong winds had turned the light drizzle that had been falling all morning into icy daggers that stabbed at her face and throat. She grumbled as she pulled her hood over her head, the fur lining offering immediate comfort to her frozen ears. She wanted nothing more than to lay in bed all day and read, a warm fire crackling nearby. Andre had managed to track down a few old Bronte novels and she was burning her way through them at a rapid pace; there was talk of an old book repository a few miles away – she was already planning making a trip once the weather improved.

But that was days away at best, even longer depending on what the doctor might tell her today. She rounded and noted, with mild surprise, that mainstreet was abandoned. It appeared no one felt like braving the storm today. _Almost no one_. She mused, squinting through the whipping mist. Someone was stationed in a phone booth down the street. _People actually use those?_ Those things were relics. Most of them had disappeared by Armageddon and had made a comeback, thanks to the catastrophic failure of the cell towers. _Still, ancient. Suffocating. Dirty._ The list prattled on in her head as she neared the booth, pierced brow climbing in surprise when she watched the figure hang up the receiver and step into the weather.

"Sinjin?" She called over the wind. The wiry boy jumped and glanced nervously in her direction. "Who the hell were you calling? You live with everyone who can tolerate you." She snapped. "And we have a phone, moron!" He didn't attempt to explain himself. He just laughed nervously and pulled on his gloves, bowing his head against the rain as he headed back in the direction of home. "Fucking weirdo." Jade hissed. Van Cleef had always been strange; since their arrival in Sanctum he had only gotten stranger. He and a few other Techies had bonded and he often spent time with them, dabbling and experimenting with God-knew-what. He had all but retreated from their midst, not that Jade minded. He always rubbed her the wrong way, and one less creeper in the house oogling her girlfriend the better she felt.

A few moments later she arrived at Crenshaw's office, a small building that also served as his home. She peeled her damp coat off and shook it a few times to shake off the excess water and hung it on a hook by the door, thankful the man had the wood-burning stove fired up. "Doc!" She called, rubbing her hands together as she positioned herself in front of the emanating warmth. It felt like heaven. She tugged the edge of her shirt out to capture some of the radiating heat between fabric and flesh, shivering with delight as the sensation crept up her torso.

"Greetings!" A voice boomed from behind her, nearly startling her into the searing iron.

"Jesus!" She spun and took a few steps forward to put distance between her and the stove. "Who the hell are you!" Before her stood a wild-man.

"I'm Dr. Eric Slocum! And, judging by your horrible disfigured paw, you must be Jade North." Despite her pounding heart she groaned inwardly – Tori had supplied her with her false identity, and had been fairly proud of her simple creativity. It's not like anyone here would check anyway, she argued. People just needed a name, and North was common enough. It'll grow on you, she promised.

Jade still thought it was stupid.

But there were more important things to worry herself with currently, namely the Yeti encroaching on her personal space. His dark beard was thick and scraggly, easily covering the lower half of his face. He was bald on the top of his head and seemed to be trying to make up for it by allowing the rest of his hair to grow long and stick up at odd angles. He wore a ragged and torn scarf wrapped loosely around his neck and layered himself in many bright, thin shirts that Jade all considered piercing eye-sores. He was loud. He was unkempt. He was crazy. He was mildly terrifying.

Jade recognized him almost immediately.

"Sikowitz?" She muttered incredulously, her voice barely audible as someone clunked down the stairs behind him. "Erwin Sikowitz?"

The man in question stared at her suspiciously, his smile vanishing. He stepped back and crossed his arms, studying her. "Jadelyn West… as I live and breathe." Crenshaw appeared around the corner before he could say anything more, and his face immediately split into the excited grin he had been wearing when he had snuck up on her seconds ago. "I'm assuming this is our patient!"

"You assume correctly, Eric." Crenshaw smiled. "Jade, this is Dr. Slocum. He's just arrived from New Mexico. We're glad he made it before the winter months settled in full – traveling can be so difficult this time of year." Jade nodded blankly, gaze still locked on Sikowitz… Slocum… whoever. She hadn't seen him in years – she had presumed him to be dead. How did he – "Ah, Jade, I hope you aren't put off by his… rugged appearance. I can guarantee he's an excellent doctor. A genius in his field." Sikowitz turned his gaze to her, widening his eyes at her and dipped his head at her, encouraging her to speak.

"Oh… right. Yeah, I was worried that you had recruited a grizzly bear to deal with me." The pale girl recovered, bowing her head to pull her hair in a messy bun. She needed the brief moment of privacy, shielded by raven locks, to wipe the shock off her face and compose herself.

"I've pulled all her files – they're in my office. This way." Crenshaw led them down a narrow hall to his study. Sikowitz and Jade eased themselves onto the couch, avoiding eye contact, while Crenshaw retrieved a file and claimed a chair to their left. He flipped open the cover and spread out papers on a small coffee table. "Injuries were sustained when her hand was caught in a piece of machinery and pulled through. We haven't been able to tell the extent of the damage without X-rays, but the majority of the damage seems to lie here," He motioned for Jade's hand and, tenderly, traced a pen across her flesh. "Carpals, Metacarpals, and Proximal Phalanges." Muscle damage too. Therapy has improved dexterity significantly," Crenshaw paused when she narrowed her eyes dangerously at him. "But not to Jade's satisfaction. Daily pain is still a factor, and it's doubtful she'll ever regain full function of the appendage."

Jade extracted her hand carefully from his grasp and flexed her aching fingers. "She's requested full amputation and – " He was interrupted by a phone ringing somewhere in the back of the house. "Ah… excuse me. I'm sorry. Jade, you know what you want – I'll leave this portion to you." Crenshaw excused himself and pulled the door to behind him.

They both listened intently as his footsteps faded before they turned to face each other, surgery completely forgotten. "Eric Slocum?" She raised a brow.

"Jade North? I mean, at least mine's original." He countered. "Look at how big you've gotten! Still got your father's eyes and his… eyebrow piercing?" He poked the bar on her brow. "And purple hair?" He gently lifted a curl and dropped it, watching it bounce and sway. "Well then."

"Oh shut up." She couldn't help but smile, despite his taunting. "Last time I saw you, you had full head of hair. What happened there?"

"I see you're still cheeky as usual." He palmed the top of his head before running his hand through what was left of his hair in an attempt to smooth it. They heard sounds outside the door – footsteps returning. "We need somewhere more private to talk."

"Meet me outside. There's a diner a few streets over." They quickly returned their attention to the documents before them as Crenshaw re-entered the room. Jade flashed a brief smile before making a quick excuse – she forgot it was her turn to cook dinner – before rising to her feet. "I'm sorry to cut this short… but I can call tomorrow and reschedule? Sound okay?"

She didn't wait for Crenshaw's reply as she slipped out the front door, coat not even fully buttoned yet. She eased herself down the icing steps and waited just out of sight from the front window, waiting for Sikowitz to follow. _Small world_. She thought to herself, cupping her hands in front of her mouth to warm them. Sikowitz had worked with her father at Compass, had been his partner and mentor in the program the first few years after Daniel had been hired. She remembered many times slipping away from the company day-care and wandering towards their lab to spend time with the men. Her time with them sparked her curiosity; she started drawing her own blueprints in crayon on the backs of his invoices, began dismantling things to understand how they functioned. Sikowitz bought her her own first toolkit, albeit a pink one, that she brought to work every day. She smiled as she thought back on those long abandoned memories, ones she had shoved in away in the dark recesses of her mind since Armageddon. Jade pulled her frozen hands away from her face and examined her knuckle on her right index finger – there was still a scar where she had accidentally stabbed herself with a pair of wire-clippers: 3 stitches; her father and Sikowitz had panicked more than she had on that occasion. Who knew fingers could bleed so much?

Jade frowned slightly as she worked her way through the years; Sikowitz had disappeared just a few months before Armageddon occurred. At the time she thought nothing of it – the man had always talked about retiring early and travelling. But he left without word to either her or her father, only brief note informed them of his departure. Chase had confirmed that the good doctor was taking only a temporary leave of absence, and he would return in time.

Jade knew now that she couldn't trust anything Myles had ever spouted from his treacherous lips. Where had the man disappeared to, and how did he find himself here now?

More importantly, could Jade trust him? His affiliation with Compass, with Chase, worried her. She desperately wanted to ignore that niggling, that apprehension, descending like a dark cloud over her fond memories but understood she couldn't. She had once trusted Sikowitz with her life… but then again, Patrick had trusted Madison. Daniel had trusted Myles. Fond memories weren't enough to risk her safety, her friends'… Tori's.

Sikowitz appeared behind her suddenly, his sound of his approach having been silenced by the wind. "I do not enjoy this weather in the least. Too bad there isn't a tropical refugee camp." He smiled, burrowing himself deeper into a jacket Jade could have sworn must have been alive. "So… diner? Just around the corner?" Jade nodded and he bowed at the waist, gesturing that she lead the way. Despite her suspicion a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth – he seemed like the same old Sikowitz. Surely this man, her friend, hadn't been in cahoots with the monsters that had facilitated her family's ruin. "Do you think they have coconut milk?"

Jade laughed, an uncommon sound these days. "I really, really doubt it."

* * *

Jade swirled the mug in her hand and watched as the coffee spun, nearly sloshing over the rim. _Stupid_. She scowled, returning the cup to the table and tucking her hand in her lap so Sikowitz couldn't see it tremor. He was hovering over his order of hot chocolate, basking in the steam that wafted from it. "Delicious chocolate cow juice." He muttered to himself, delicately sipping the beverage. "So." He released a sigh of satisfaction as he swallowed. "How did you wind up here?"

"Andre and I made a run for it." So she was only half-lying; she just didn't want to reveal too many secrets before she knew it was safe. Sikowitz was their only tie back to the Sweepers in this town – she wasn't about to sabotage the happiness they'd found here. "Forged a few signatures, slipped into a cargo truck, jumped ship when it crossed the border. I got tired of being a public enemy. You? You disappeared before Armageddon… kinda shady, considering what came out about Compass employees." Maybe she could coax the truth from him.

His face fell and he reached up to absently smooth his beard. "I hope you don't believe I could have anything to do with that nonsense…"

She raised her brow in both curiosity and mild surprise. "I don't know what to believe, Sikowitz. I thought I knew my father too… Apparently he was involved with the Horsemen." The words tasted bitter in her mouth, but she had to keep up with the ruse that she knew nothing.

"He was not!" He balled his hand into an angry fist against the varnished surface of the table. His sudden reaction took her off guard and she crossed her arms on the counter, leaning forward and offering a look that urged him to explain himself. "Don't believe anything Myles or Madison ever said. They were horrible men, Jade. Horrible. The things they did to people were just …" He trailed off as he caught her gaze. "Your father was not involved in that catastrophe. Nor was I."

Jade feigned her initial surprise. "Then where were you? And why didn't you come back when dad died? I didn't have anyone, Sikowitz, and you were like a brother to him. Mom had left, Aunt Trina had died… you were it." This was a question she had been wanting to ask him for some time now. She had never known what had happened to him – if he had simply run away from or even died in the events following Armageddon. Some nights she still thought of him, wondered where he was… and seethed bitterly that he hadn't come back to take her with him.

Sikowitz looked at her sadly, though no trace of guilt appeared to cross his countenance. "That story is a long and sad one, Jadelyn. One I don't think you want to hear, and one I don't think you'd believe if I told you."

Jade leaned back in her chair, arms still resolutely crossed over her chest. "Try me."

* * *

**AN: Surprise! Sikowitz :) ... Where's he been?**

**And what the hell was Sinjin up to?  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Happy New Year's, guys! (A little late, but whatever) So this week marks the days the chapters might slow down again - I have to start prepping my syllabus for teaching next semester (classes start next week). So I thank you in advance for being patient with me :) And I'm super thankful for all of you who continue to read and review, and those who PM me to chat. Frenchyloop, OfficiallyNonOfficial, and (of course) Newsies73. You guys are fantastic and are def keeping me motivated! **

**Anyway, let's continue on, shall we? Thanks for sticking with me - you know my stories always start out a little slow so I can build a foundation. Things will pick up soon!  
**

* * *

He was nervous, Jade noted, as he picked his cuticles absently. "I was trying to help your father, Jade. He was working on … I don't know if I should tell you, not now. Maybe in time. Just, please, trust me. He was not a Horseman."

"Stop dancing around the subject." She snipped; she had been waiting for his explanation for the better part of a decade. Her patience had long worn thin and dried up. "Just spit it out."

"He had just found out that Madison had killed your grandfather, and that he was still trying to hunt down his cyborg that had disappeared decades ago. Daniel found the virus they had created to draw her out of hiding… it was nasty. It would have completely overloaded her circuits, put her through excruciating pain. He came to me for help. He wanted to take down Compass."

Jade feigned a surprised, suspicious expression. So far his story lined up with Trina's, but she had to be sure. "Grandpa was mugged." She countered. "Who would have told him that?"

"Your aunt Trina."

"… She's dead, Sikowitz. She died a long time ago. She couldn't have told him anything." She studied him curiously; it was a complicated dance they were in right now – he was obviously trying to be delicate about the information he revealed, and she was hoping she could maintain the façade of ignorance.

"No, she's not!" He brushed his mug aside and fanned his fingers on the table, tapping them as he became more impassioned. "She's still alive. Compass hid her away all those years ago. She told Daniel about Patrick… told him secrets about her sister, the cyborg. He was hellbent on revenge and, after listening to his story, I wanted to help him anyway I could. We both started working on a counter-virus. With Compass out of the way, Daniel was convinced he could find Victoria. He was going to take the two of you and disappear."

Jade's throat tightened – that was news. She had really given it much thought what her father had planned on doing if his plans hadn't been foiled. She briefly imagined the three of them settling down somewhere far away from Las Angeles, growing up with a family, normal… happy. She shook the images from her mind; they were too bittersweet for her tastes. "So what happened?" She pushed.

"Myles. He's shrewd, just like his father. He noticed a change in our behavior, our routine. He began to suspect foul play. I was worried for your father – the Chases held a ridiculous grudge against your family. I didn't want to risk something happening to him before he got his revenge, before he was able to set everything right that had been screwed up decades ago." Sikowitz shook his head sadly, puffing his cheeks full of air as he prepared himself for the next part of his tale. "I led them on a wild goose chase, essentially. Started causing minor problems in the system – glitches here and there. I tried to keep them off your father's trail as long as I could. It didn't take them long to figure out who was behind it. That's when I disappeared."

"Where?" Was this a situation like Trina's? Put away and pumped for information? Or did he strike a deal – offer information willingly in exchange for his own life?

"They took me to one of their safe houses. I had to convince them that I was behind all the trouble. I told them I wanted to take down the company that had gotten too big for itself. They were growing too big too fast. Chase was releasing technology that the public wasn't ready for, God knew what the world could do with it if they could corrupt it."

"Sounds like the Horsemen manifesto to me."Jade interjected bluntly.

Sikowitz stared at her. "I guess you could look at it like that… There's a big difference between me and a Horseman, though."

"And what's that?"

"Horsemen wanted this world, wanted the destruction and death that came with it. I only wanted to help your father. He was like a brother to me. For months they kept me there, Jade. For months they demanded if I had any accomplices in the company. I never betrayed him. By the time they figured out what was going on it was too late to stop him… all they could do was try and deflect it. It worked… Kind of."

"Armageddon." She muttered. Sikowitz nodded. She recalled that moment at Phoenix months ago, when Myles and Madison had made their grand reveal about the truth of Armageddon and her father's death. They had blamed the world's flaming tail spin and ultimate crash on him. That had been a painful truth to accept, even if it was less painful than believing him to believe a Horseman.

She was relieved there seemed to be more to the truth than Chase had revealed.

"Armageddon." He echoed. "Madison and Myles concocted the story about the Horsemen and threw their own employees to the gallows. They didn't even really exist until some weeks after the fact. Pathetic, terrified people joined a cause that wasn't even real because the "Horsemen" had made it clear that they were the strongest faction on the planet. With no one to confirm or deny membership the alliance formed by itself, giving form and bringing life to the spectre it had once been. I watched the world fall apart from the safety of their protected home. I saw the news about your dad and I wished I could be there for you, Jade. But they wouldn't let me go."

"Why not? It was game over. World was done-zo."

"I was your dad's closest confidant. I think they thought I knew where Victoria was… now that the world had gone to hell they had doubled their energies looking for her. They'd check in every few weeks and every move I made was monitored… up until a few months ago. Someone killed them."

"What? Who?" Jade was keenly interested in this part – since crossing the border none of them knew if they were being hunting or not back in the states. It was the main reason neither she nor Tori had contacted Trina yet; they were afraid her lines were still being tapped. "Wait… Them? Who them?" She realized she almost slipped up – Madison allegedly died years ago.

"Father and son. Madison's death was a ruse. He underwent surgeries and made himself into a cyborg… or at least the closest I could make him after the world almost ended." Jade narrowed her eyes suspiciously – so Sikowitz had a hand in creating that monster that had almost killed her in California. "But someone killed them both. The cleaning staff found them dead in their lab… leaked the whole story to the news. There's no security footage, no leads, no clue who would have killed the men who supposedly pulled the world away from the brink of destruction. Some are guessing Horsemen, but I didn't feel like sticking around to find out. I saw my opening and took it. And… well… here we are."

The dark-haired girl folded her hands together and leaned back over the table, narrowed eyes studying his face. He sensed her apparent distrust. "You don't believe me." He said plainly. "Why not?"

"No reason. Your story just seemed a little outrageous at times." She replied, forcing herself to maintain eye-contact.

"You're looking at me like I'm a threat to you… people don't give that look unless they've got a reason to feel threatened. What are you worried about?"

"… My own safety." She half-lied. "I ran too, you know. You're the only one here who recognizes me… and you worked for the man who made my life hell as a Banned-Red. I can't help but be suspicious. I'm sorry if that upsets you, but it's just how it is." She retreated to her side of the table and shrugged her shoulders.

Sikowitz tugged at the hair on his chin, frowning. "I understand your suspicion, but there's nothing else I can think to do to prove to you that I'm not going to betray you. Maybe time will convince you – I plan on sticking around. And, if you'll have me, I'd love to help you with your hand. You at least know that I know what I'm doing in that department." He flashed a small smile, one Jade remembered so well.

"Let me think about it." She said, rising to her feet. Too much time had passed – everyone would be wondering where she was. "I've gotta get going though. I'll come by and see you later." She fished a few bills out of her pocket and made move to toss them on the table. The older man put up a hand and shook his head.

"My treat, Jadelyn." She nodded in appreciate and made her way towards the door, pausing when he called out to her. "You know, I've spent every day wondering what happened to you after Daniel died. I'm glad you made it… I'm glad you're here."

* * *

Jade absently gripped her coat at the throat, no longer aware of the frost nipping at her bare hand. Darkness was settling in early tonight, bringing with it a drop in temperature that surely meant everything would be coated with a dangerous layer of ice tomorrow morning. She stared forward, her gaze unwavering and unseeing, as she operated on autopilot, allowing her unconscious to direct her home. The conversation with Sikowitz had left her rattled, upset. She needed to wander in the cold to sort through her thoughts.

She _wanted_ to trust him, but the past few months had taught her that trust was not a commodity that she was often provided. Almost everyone in her life so far had deceived her, whether purposely (more often than not) or otherwise. The fact that he just _appeared_ made her uneasy. What if Myles and Madison had partners that were looking for her? What if they knew Tori was with her? They were completely unprepared for any kind of attack here. _I've already lost Tori once_, she thought to herself, shuddering as she recalled the few moments where she thought the cyborg had died. _I can't lose her again_.

On the other hand – it was Sikowitz, her dad's best friend. There was a very real chance that he had been abducted and put away like Trina had. His prison-keepers had been murdered by her hand, so he would have just been freed to run. He would have falsified his name for safety as well… "Ugh. What do I do?" She kicked a garbage can on the corner, watching as it tumbled and rolled away in the stiff wind that was still blowing. Choosing to trust him could mean being reunited with a life-long friend, or it could put her and Tori's lives at risk again. It wasn't an easy decision to make. She needed advice.

She stomped past the very phone-booth Sinjin had been earlier and paused, chewing her chapped bottom lip as she thought. She couldn't seek advice from anyone here – she didn't want Tori knowing she was seeing a doctor behind her back. She needed someone wiser than a group of kids... more importantly, she needed someone in the know. They were in the dark in Sanctum – they rarely got any State-side reports about anything. Maybe Trina could confirm or deny Sikowitz's story. Jade ripped open the glass doors and shuffled inside, hesitantly contemplating the keypad. They'd left only one message for Trina since they arrived: _Across the border. Wait_. They wanted to make sure they were safely settled in before making plans to get her up there. Now they wanted to wait for winter to pass – no one had expected it to be this harsh so soon.

She slipped a few coins into the slot and punched in the Latina's number. It rang twice before a sleepy voice answered. "Trina?" She ventured cautiously.

"Jade West! Where the hell have you been! It's been two months! What the chiz, child?"

The pale girl yanked the receiver from her ear and cringed, glancing to the houses nearby and wondering if the inhabitants could hear her shrill screaming. "Trina! Shut up!" Jade barked into the phone. "I need to ask you a question."

"Oh, sure. Leave me here to rot in California – I went through all that trouble to lead you to my little sister and you sweep her off her feet and run to _Canada_ of all places – "

"What's the news down there on Chase? Any leads?" She interrupted again, knowing the older woman could rant for hours.

"What? No. Not a one. There's fliers up in every store asking anyone with any information to come forward. Phoenix seems to be struggling as well… it looks like there's a vacuum for a power struggle. They've only just released a statement about the incident about a month ago."

"So… no one's been to check on you since we left?" Jade was cautiously optimistic. If Trina wasn't being harassed anymore then maybe Sikowitz hadn't been lying.

"Not a soul. Thank God, too. I was worried another little weasel would come track mud through my clean house talking gibberish about conspiracy theories and Tori… Why do you ask? Does this mean you're getting ready to move me up there?" The scientist heard the hope in her voice and frowned – she hadn't realized she might be getting her hopes up.

"Someone showed up here… an old friend. I was worried he might have been sent after us. He gave me his story tonight and I was calling hoping you could confirm some of it. It looks like he was telling the truth about at least some of it…" She glanced to her left and realized her body heat was fogging up the glass; with her free hand she traced patterns in the condensation and spied a body crossing the street. She narrowed her eyes and studied the stranger who wandered just out of the glow of the streetlights, wondering who (besides her) would be crazy enough to be out in this weather.

"Jade? You still there?" Trina's nagging voice cut through her concentration. "Who showed up? What did he say?"

"Sikowitz. He used to work with dad – "

"Erwin? Erwin made it up there? I'll be damned." She sounded amused.

"… I'm going to need you to use more words." Jade wiped the glass with her whole hand, noting that whoever it was had disappeared.

"Of course I know Erwin. He's practically the only human contact I've been allowed all these years. He lived a few houses down. Myles put him here specifically so he could keep an eye on the both of us." Jade felt her jaw go slack as she lost propensity to speak; she'd been all of a block away from the man when they had visited Trina.

"So… he's safe? I can trust him?"

"Chiz yes. He was your dad's best friend, Jade, and been a prisoner just like I have. He's hated the men with a passion once I caught him up to speed. He told me he was going to try and make a run for it a few weeks after Madison and Myles died. I can't believe he actually made it… Fantastic. You have fun with him. How's Tori? When are you coming to get me?"

"Um… soon." Jade lied, a smile spreading across her face. She desperately wanted to run back through the storm to Crenshaw's house and spill the details of her past few months. She wanted to boast about her projects, gloat about being the one who had finally gotten revenge for her family, introduce him to the long-lost cyborg she knew her father had told him about.

"Oh, that was convincing. Seriously, Jade, I need out of this town. I want to be with my family." Jade could tell the older woman was laying on the guilt but knew she had a point. They all wanted Trina up there soon to make sure she was completely out of harm's way.

"Soon. I promise, okay? I'll get the guys together tonight. We'll start planning. I have to go though, okay? We'll contact you again soon." She replaced the receiver and hurriedly ripped the door back open, keen on getting away from phone-booth; she felt bad for dodging the older woman – they really had dropped the ball where she was concerned.

Despite her guilt she felt a lightness in her heart; she was thankful Trina was able to confirm Sikowitz's story. As soon as she was able she'd bring him to the house and introduce him to Tori, to her friends, and let him see how she had fared on her own all those years as a street-rat. It was almost too good to be true.

Her smile faltered as her home came into view. _Wait_… What would Tori think if she brought a doctor home? One who specialized in such a narrow field of cyber-prostheses? That would just start another fight she was in no mood to deal with. No. Introductions would have to wait. She'd see Sikowitz again tomorrow to explain the situation. Until then she'd have to act like nothing had happened today. She climbed the steps to the front door and wiped the smile off her face, replacing it with a more appropriate scowl before turning the knob and stepping inside.

* * *

The pale girl had just finished stripping off her wet clothes when she heard the bedroom door open behind her, a faint padding of socks on hardwood alerting her to the fact that Tori was creeping up behind her. As their most recent conversation came trickling back her good mood faded and her once forced scowl became a very real one. "I'm not in the mood, Tori." She said, spinning to face the cyborg.

The girl in question shook a white towel in her extended hand and Jade eyed it suspiciously. "Truce? And… I figured you might want a hot bath after being out in the cold. I did laundry today." The Latina explained, a small smile spreading her face when Jade accepted it. "Can we please talk?"

"I'm still mad at you." Jade replied, wrapping the towel around her bare shoulders.

"I didn't expect otherwise. I just wanted to apologize, okay? Hear me out." She held up a hand to silence what was surely to be a rude remark. "I've been saying no a lot. I'm scared, Jade. I don't want you to take any unnecessary risks because if something happened to you … I can't even imagine. As much as I love Trina, you're really all I've got to make sense of this world. I love you, Jade." The pale girl could see how Tori yearned to close the gap between them, to pull her into her warm arms and melt away the icy exterior she'd been wearing the past few days. "But I know you're hurting… and I know I would want to take the surgery if I was in your place." She bit her lip, unsure as to how to continue.

"What are you saying?"

"I don't know… I know I'm _not_ saying let's go crazy and cut your arm off tonight. But let's explore options maybe? I'd like to talk to more doctors than just Crenshaw. Maybe we can find someone who knows what they're doing. But if we're going to do this, we need to make sure we're doing it right… doing it safe. Maybe we can find an actual doctor who can do a regular surgery and fix your hand, then we can avoid the cyborg route entirely."

Jade studied her carefully, wondering what incited change in her so quickly. "Are you up to something?"

"I'm just tired of fighting. With this whole silent treatment thing you've been giving me time to think about everything you've said the past few months. I'm willing to consider the cyborg treatment if you'll consider it as only one option, maybe not the best one. Sound fair?" She took a hesitant step forward.

She cocked her head slightly as she considered the brunette's words, dripping hair falling across her shoulder blades and making her shiver. Now that Sikowitz was in town she felt safe in saying she was probably going to accept any suggestion he made for her. She was sure they could convince Tori to go along with it, especially once she found out he was a friend of Daniel's and could do her own research on his work. "Fair enough." She shrugged, eyes flashing with amusement as she watched the older girl take another small step forward.

"I've missed you." Her voice was low, cautious. It was as if any wrong move would ruin the moment.

"And I've missed… having that much of the bed to myself. It was so nice to spread out." Jade sauntered past her towards the bathroom, intent on soaking in the tub until she was pruned like an old raisin. "And I know _you've_ missed my ass. I've noticed you staring." She glanced over her shoulder and hiked the towel up, swaying her hips clad in green lace panties.

"You're so full of yourself, West." Tori rolled her eyes, blush spreading across her perfect cheeks.

Jade didn't reply. She stood in the doorway and reached behind her back, unclasping her bra and allowing it to fall to the ground. She blew her girlfriend a kiss as she stepped back, shutting the door behind her and locking it quietly. Moments later the door rattled and she smirked triumphantly. "No… I'm just _so_ right."


	4. Chapter 4

**All right, guys! Sorry for the delay - but I did warn you! Classes start back tomorrow and I teach at 9 AM. I'm pretty nervous. Never taught Comp II and never had to take it in undergrad. And I really hate public speaking and I'm pretty sure my kids are going to think I'm weird (because I am). On top of that I decided to take an advanced Latin class to comp out of my language requirements. I took 7 years of Latin... 6 years ago. I don't think I thought this all the way through. Oh God... what if she tests us tomorrow? That didn't even occur to me until _just now_. _Shit._ Guys, wish me luck.**

**I'm not sure when the next chapter will be posted - it could be up to a week before I finally get time to sit down and do it. I'm go-go-go in this town (yuck).  
**

**But, as always, I'm thinking of you guys and the story! So RR. It will serve as a wonderful pick me up for the following next few hell-days.  
**

* * *

For the third day in a row Sinjin made his way to the phone-booth blocks away from his home to await a call. The storm had broken sometime in the middle of the night and the day, though bitterly cold, was beautiful. A thick layer of ice covered the sidewalk, slowing his excursion and providing a few near-serious spills along the way. He nervously checked his watch as he skidded into the accordion doors – 4 minutes to spare. The blonde glanced over his shoulder to see if anyone was following him, not that he really suspected they would. The worst scare he'd gotten so far was Jade badgering him from across the street yesterday morning.

He stepped into the call-box and stared impatiently at the phone, willing it to ring so he could get back to the warmth of his home. When it did ring he bolted, the sharp sound piercing the calm of the Plexiglas box. "Van Cleef." He answered, propping his arm on top of the phone and resting his forehead against it.

"Today's report." A woman's voice demanded on the other side.

"Sure… yeah." Sinjin dragged a stack of notecards out of his pockets and cleared his throat. "I found the paperwork concerning her eye, just like you wanted."

"Just get on with it."

For the next twenty minutes Sinjin read off Tori's blue-prints, the voice on the other end only interrupting with a curious hum every few moments. By the time he finished dictating the last card there was a momentary silence and he feared he'd lost connection. "Very good. Tomorrow – 7 PM. Bring what you can." The line went dead.

Sinjin frowned. For the past three weeks he had been trying to establish contact with the mysterious voice on the phone. For a month before that he was trying to track down someone who could even get in him touch with said mysterious voice. He had first heard the rumor of a Horsemen faction taking sanctuary deep in the Canadian wilderness about thirty miles from here when he arrived. People in Sanctum didn't take kindly to the anarchists; whenever one wandered into their midst they were shunned. They felt no need to offer help to those who reveled in the fall of mankind.

Sinjin saw this as his chance – he had tried joining the Horsemen years ago and had been denied. Now was his chance; he just had to follow orders given via daily phonecall. So far all they had asked for was Tori's schematics, an easy enough task considering her paperwork was strewn across the house. He hoped that, if he continued, they'd permit him to enter their camp and join their ranks. Sanctum was too dull for him, everyone here was content to stay in the Dark Ages. He yearned to be among those he considered his people.

He was so close he could practically taste it. "And it tastes sweet… like pudding." He muttered to himself, disappearing around the corner.

"Oh! Sinjin!" Dr. Crenshaw was salting his front porch in an effort to melt the treacherous ice.

The pale boy froze, beady eyes wide. Had someone overheard him? Oh God, he'd been discovered. He'd have to run, take off into the wilderness, fight bears for their pelts, for their food –

"Can you give these back to Jade? She left them here yesterday when she rushed out." He disappeared inside for a moment and returned with a pair of gloves, tossing them in his direction. "And tell her Slocum has been reviewing her files and come up with a few ideas. I tried getting the man to use the phone, but he says he rather see her in person."

Sinjin fumbled with the wool gloves and nodded, heart slowing in his chest. _No need to be so nervous, Van Cleef_. He chastised himself, shoving them into his pockets. He took a few steps passed the building before he furrowed his brows and turned on his heel. "Slocum?" He didn't know the name.

"New doctor in town. He's working on Jade's cyber-prosthesis." Crenshaw replied. "She didn't tell you? I thought she'd be screaming from a mountain-top by now."

"No… I missed her yesterday. I'll let her know though, thanks." He smiled, waving the doctor farewell. _That's odd_, he thought to himself. _I thought Tori and Jade were fighting about that._ He wasn't often in his home anymore, choosing instead to spend time with a few friends he'd made on the other side of town. Things had been tense in the lodge though, of that much he was shrugged absently to himself, making a mental note to tell Jade the good news when he got home that evening.

* * *

Thirty miles away, a lithe figure scanned over the notes she had just taken before adding them to the growing file on her kitchen table. The surface before her was littered with papers, books, and a few photos of the infamous first cyborg – Victoria Vega. "Have you tracked down your wild goose yet?" A soft voice called from the doorway. The figure rolled her eyes and spun in her chair, gaze landing on a small blonde towel drying her hair.

"It's not a goose chase this time, Lillie. His reports are lining up with the brief ones we get in the biographies." She scowled, jabbing her finger at the underlined text.

"Because I'm sure that no one has thought to crack a book before, Lara. Oh wait… isn't that what the last guy did? And the one before that?" She tossed the towel over her shoulder and combed her fingers through the knotted tresses, strolling idly over to her sister and her growing stack of paper. "Maybe he's just creative enough to make up other shit along with it, instead of reading it word for word like that one idiot."

Lara frowned and swatted away the older girl's hand as she ruffled her hair. "He's providing crazy ridiculous details… not just on Vega, but West too. You can't make this stuff up – apparently creator and creation are _lovers_." She snorted, snatching up Tori and Jade's wanted flyers and a holding them inches apart. "_Ooh Victoria, it's not weird at all that you're old enough to be my grandmother. Mwah mwah._"

"…You're a special breed." Lillie bent over Lara's impeccable notes and studied them silently, grey eyes tracking along the page. "Well, if nothing else he certainly has a brilliant imagination. Who is this kid?"

"I don't know. Sanjay... Soren... Something. Van cleef. Apparently tried joining the Los Angeles chapter a few years ago. Doesn't know why he was passed over, and I can't get anyone on the phone to confirm or deny his story. There's no record of him on the public databases either."

"Yeah... This guy really sounds on the up-and-up. Stop wasting your time with this. It's not like we need the cyborg." Lillie reached over her and began flipping books and folders closed. "We've got plenty of resources already, and preparations are almost finished."

Lara shoved the taller girl away, scowling as she laughed at her overreaction. "We do need her!" She turned her attention back to the thick biography before her, flipping through the pages. "It doesn't matter what kind of platform we have, what kind of army, what kind of weapons," the book fell open to a full page color photo of Tori, titanium limbs glittering brilliantly in the California sun. "Every revolution needs a figure-head. With her we'll be unstoppable." She traced her index finger down Tori's jawline, smiling as she imagined what their future would soon bring.

"You've been reading too much juvenile fiction." Lillie chimed, her head deep in the recesses of the fridge. "Did you eat all the pasta from last night?"

"Oh my God, would you shut up and let me have a dramatic moment? You're the _worst_ villain ever."

* * *

Jade waited until she heard the front door shut before she dragged herself out of bed. Tori was meeting with Norris again today; she declined accompanying the cyborg in lieu of meeting with Sikowitz. It worked out perfectly – Tori would spend all day with the older man on the other side of town; Jade wouldn't have to sneak around at all, as long as she managed to make it back home before Tori did.

She dressed hastily and tugged a beanie over her messy hair before breezing out the door and into the winter sunshine. The walk to Crenshaw's was a treacherous one and she nearly suffered a few serious spills before finally arriving at his door. She burst through the door without ceremony and slammed it behind her, thankful to be out of the bitter cold. "He's not here!" A voice called from the kitchen. "He's treating some bed-confined invalid. I'm sure he'll – oh, Jade." Sikowitz greeted as he rounded the corner, regarding her with warm caution. "I'm glad I didn't send you running for the hills." His eyes twinkled with amusement she couldn't place.

"I don't scare easy." She smiled back, shrugging off her jacket.

"So I was talking to Crenshaw last night, discussing your case." She turned to hang her layers on a hook by the wall. "And he said you were so adamant for amputation and he couldn't help but wonder if it had anything to do with your cyborg friend, Tara Oliver.

Jade could have slammed her head against the wall for many reasons, the main one being the issue that Crenshaw had no capability for confidentiality at all. This was _her_ case – why did he feel the need to drag her girlfriend into it? She was worried something like this would happen, that someone would blow their cover before she was ready. Secondly, _Tori is horrible at names. I'll never let her name her children. _Her argument was that she and Beck already looked like siblings – the claim would provide a fairly solid story in case anyone ever got suspicious enough to investigate. As for Tara? Well… she just liked the name.

"Imagine my surprise when I heard of a functioning cyborg in Sanctum. When I asked Crenshaw, he said she was in spectacular working order – a double-amputee to boot. Wonderful olive complexion, brunette… the most adorable cheek-bones." Jade pinched the tips of her gloves, dragging the material off finger by finger. "Arrived with you and your caravan of friends…" He was trying to drag a confession out of her.

"Yeah, what a coincidence." Jade smirked, finally removing her scarf and shoving it in her coat pocket.

"You found Victoria!" He exclaimed. "You found the lost cyborg! The legend!"

"Okay, okay!" Jade spun and raised her hands to silence him.

"And apparently you're _amorous_ with her!"

"_Okay._ Shut. Up." She seethed, narrowing her eyes at him and jabbing her index finger in his direction. "Yes. I found her. And no, it's not a story I feel like sharing right now."

"Can I meet her?" He was as excited as she'd seen him in years.

"_No_. Not yet." He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Cranky." He muttered, retreating into the kitchen. "I spent years of my life suffering because I tried to help a dear friend find the poor girl…" He sighed dramatically as he deposited himself at the kitchen table.

"Oh please. I talked to Trina. You lived in a fancy mansion on the right side of the tracks." She teased, leaning against the doorframe and perking her brow in amusement.

"You have her number?" He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You already knew she was alive." He frowned, obviously upset that she had lied to him.

"I did. I know a lot more than that… I just had to be sure about you first. It's not like I've been afforded the luxury of trust during the course of my life." She wasn't going to allow him to make her feel guilty for lying – she'd do it again without hesitation to protect her friends. "Sorry, Sikowitz… but grandpa trusted Madison and my dad trusted Myles. Neither of those relationships ended well for my family. Tori, my friends, are all I have… I just had to be sure." She wrapped a dark strand of hair around her finger and twirled it, studying her split ends to avoid eye contact.

"I'd probably do the same. No harm done." He sighed after a moment, motioning to the chair opposite him. "But now that you know you can trust me, can we lay it all out on the table? That's only fair." He steepled his fingers beneath his chin and stared at her intently. "So, Jade _North_. How did you end up here, and what really happened to your hand?"

* * *

It was dark by the time Jade left Sikowitz's company, cursing herself for losing track of time. Tori would be home by now, the house would be wondering why she wasn't there for dinner. She'd have to come up with a more clever story than just "I had a meeting with Crenshaw." Head bowed, she adopted a brisk pace to make better time only to come to a staggering halt as she slammed into someone. "Jesus, sorry – Oh for fuck's sake, Sinjin. What the hell are you doing out here again?" She scowled, shoving the wiry boy out of her path.

Sinjin stammered nervously as he braced himself against the telephone booth. "Just out for a walk, Jade." He shoved his hands in his pockets and swallowed hard.

"You've been lurking around this creepy phonebooth for days now, what's the deal?"

"Um… just examining the ancient circuitry… you know…" He lingered as she continued forward.

"It looks like you're talking to someone… you know what? I don't care. Nevermind. We're late for dinner." Jade didn't have time for the weird kid in the cold tonight. She wanted to be home. She didn't bother glancing over her shoulder to see if he was following – part of her wished he'd freeze to death out here so she wouldn't have to deal with him anymore.

To her dismay, Sinjin followed closely behind on their trek home and badgered her with questions. By the time they walked through the door she was convinced she could rip his head off effortlessly and not be burdened by an ounce of guilt.

"You're home late… with Sinjin." Tori tilted her head as they walked through the door together. "Why are you with Sinjin? Where have you been all afternoon?" The Latina untied her apron and hung it on the stairs banister – behind her Jade could see her friends lining up at the stove to fill their plates.

"I found Sinjin in that creepy phone booth on the corner, figured I'd escort him home before the dog-catcher took him in as a stray. Because, lets face it, if he goes to the pound I'm not making the effort to get the little weirdo out." Jade was nervous – how was she to throw the Latina off her scent? She should have realized walking in with Sinjin would be a horrible idea. She turned to the raggedy blonde and watched as he hung his coat on the rack, a flash of color catching her attention. She narrowed her eyes dangerously when familiarity sunk in.

"Why the chiz do you have my gloves, you little creep?" She snarled, rising to her full height and jabbing a finger at his chest. Despite being a head taller than the surly girl, Sinjin seemingly shrank as her rage consumed her and filled the room. Their friends were poking their heads into the room – Cat and Robbie looked genuinely concerned for his safety. Andre and Beck looked a bit amused. Tori just rolled her eyes and sighed – she wished Jade would stop picking on the ones that scare so easily.

The pale girl ripped one of her gloves from his pocket, spilling the rest of its contents to the floor. Sinjin reacted immediately, knocking Jade aside to retrieve the scattered notecards, praying their scribbled content would go unnoticed. "Forget your little flashcards, troll. Explain what you're doing with my stuff. Have you been in my room?" She knew she was overreacting but screaming at Sinjin provided two results: most importantly, it called attention away from the fact that she had no excuse for her absence; second, yelling at Sinjin was cathartic, therapeutic… fun. "Are those… Tori's designs?" She squinted her eyes to read the tiny scrawl, not entirely sure of what she was seeing.

There was no mistaking the homicidal rage in her voice at this point. She had transcended from her typical loud, threatening demeanor and adopted one that was calm, collected. Her eyes, however, betrayed her as they always had. They were piercing, offering those around her a window through which to view the torrent of swirling emotions. Panther Jade was back, and she was about to rend this boy limb from limb. Those around her recognized the tone well and silenced themselves, worried to incur her wrath and anxiously awaiting what violence was sure to come. Only Tori was brave enough to step forward, intent on placing herself between the pair to try and diffuse the moment.

Sinjin looked as if he was about to vomit. He quickly shoved the cards in his back pocket and scrambled to his feet, hands shaking as he snatched the other glove free and offered it to her. "C-Crenshaw asked me to give these back to you. He said you left them in his office when you came to talk to the new doctor about your c-cyborg surgery."

With that quavering sentence, those weak, half-whispered words, Sinjin ruined all of Jade's careful planning. He effectively swept the rug out from under her feet. The locomotive that had been bearing down on him, fueled by rage and anxiety, had smashed headlong into a mountainside.

Silence swallowed the room whole – even the fire stopped crackling as it seemingly waited for what was to happen next. You could have heard a pin drop.

"…Jade." The pale girl in question bit the inside of her cheek so hard she tasted blood; she had never heard that tone taint her lover's voice before. It sounded more like Jade at her darkest. She refused to face Tori, choosing instead to maintain her murderous gaze at Sinjin and wishing desperately she could kill him if only to gain vengeance for her secret he had unwittingly revealed. She heard the Latina exhale sharply before turning and stomping up the stairs. Seconds after she disappeared they heard her bedroom door slam shut with such a force it could have easily splintered the heavy wood.

Sinjin looked baffled. Jade snatched the glove from his still shaking hand and balled it in her fist, shoving it under his chin. "I'm not done with you." She insured quietly before turning away, avoiding eye contact with her friends as she began her ascent up the stairs. _Shit. Shit. Shit_. She repeated inwardly in time with her steps, and when she reached the landing she stared apprehensively at the door. With her good hand she held the banister, noting how it had been loosened by Tori's powerful grip.

"Tori." She called softly into the crook of their bedroom door. "Tori, let me in." She grabbed the knob and twisted it, surprised to find it unlocked. She pushed it slowly only to have it slammed back in her face violently.

"Go away." Tori's anger wasn't muffled in the least by the thick wood. Jade pushed the door again and it refused to budge – the cyborg was using her strength to hold it close. "Leave me the hell alone, Jade."

"Tori, open the door. I can explain if you give me a chance!" Jade was calling on all her willpower to keep her voice level, to not show any cracks in her foundation. She needed to remain calm and not give into her violent passions, though they screamed and clawed for dominance in her mind.

"No!"

"I swear to God, Tori." Jade muttered quietly, resting her forehead on the doorframe in frustration. Without warning the door yanked open, revealing a very upset cyborg. Her eyes were red and angry tears trailed down her cheeks. Her jaw was clenched, as was her fist – Jade could hear the sound of the door-knob crunching like a soda can under her powerful grip.

"Swear to God _what_, Jade?" She hissed. Jade blinked – this was not a Tori she had ever seen. Sad, yes. Angry, yes. _This? _Never. It made her take an unconscious step backwards to put space between them.

"It's not – "

"It's not what? Not what I think?" She released her death-grip on the door and stalked towards the patio door, staring angrily out the glass to avoid crying directly in front of her. "So you _weren't_ going behind my back when I begged you not to? When I begged you to explore other options? So you _didn't_ look me straight in the eye and lie to me last night?"

Jade opened her mouth but clamped it shut again. Okay, so that part was true. "Yes, but – "

"Damn it, Jade!" Tori spun, her brown hair fanning out like a skirt. Some strands stuck to her tear-soaked face and she wiped them away angrily. "You always do shit like this! It's like you wait for me to tell you my opinion so you can go do the exact fucking opposite! Is this just a stupid game you like to play to piss me off?"

The words stung Jade like an angry wasp and the bitter venom coursed through her, poisoning her self-control. "Excuse me?" She snapped, cold eyes narrowing at her lover. "I don't go jack shit out of my way to piss you off, princess, or anyone for that matter. I do what's best for me!"

"What's _best_ for you? If I didn't physically step in half the time and stop you from doing what's _best_ for you, you'd probably be dead by now! It's like the idea of taking someone's advice, or-or-or the idea of caring about someone enough to respect what they want is so _painful_ to you that you won't even bother trying!"

"No, this is what's painful for me!" She jerked up her hand and wriggled her fingers, clenching her jaw as pain coursed down her arm. Jade didn't want to play the pity card right, she just needed to put things into perspective. Any notion of reasoning with her lover had long vanished, and had been replaced with the desire for vengeance; Tori's words hurt more than she'd ever want to admit, and her accusations were so far from accurate that it infuriated her. Who did she think she was to make so many assumptions? She hadn't lived Jade's life – maybe if she had she'd understand why she was the way she was. "This hurts, Tori, more than anything I've ever had to deal with. You of all people should fucking understand that!"

The Latina shook her head and glanced away, blinking back angry tears. "I understand it! I do! But _God damnit, _Jade. Our situations are completely different! I didn't have a choice… I didn't even have a _say_. I died a few times going through that fucking procedure and that was in conditions a hundred times better than the ones we're in now."

Jade exhaled drastically and dipped her head. This was the same conversation they had already had over and over. She was getting absolutely sick of it. "Yeah, okay, I get it!" She snapped, balling both hands into fists. "But you said it yourself – different situations. You _needed_ the surgery to live. I need the surgery to function. I can't live with the pain anymore!"

"And I can't live without you." Tori's voice was low, cracking as she spoke through sobs. Jade glanced up, dreading what she knew she'd find. The brunette had lost all composure and didn't seem to be trying to reclaim it. Tears streamed down her bright red face and dripped onto her shirt. "What the hell were you going to do, Jade? Disappear for a few days and come back with a new hand? What if something happened during surgery? What if you got an infection? What would happen to you?" Her words were barely discernible – it sounded as if she was trying to speak through mud. "What if you died?"

"I'm not going to – "

"What if you died, Jade?" She interrupted, crossing the room and grabbing her by the shoulders. Brown eyes searched pale blue and Jade did her best to bury any emotion that resided there. She'd shut down like she always did, become impassive to protect herself. "I love you, Jade. Powerfully, eternally, entirely. I love you so much it scares me. If something happened to you I couldn't handle it." A fresh wave of tears spilled down her face. "And you were willing to lie to take that risk." She released her shoulders and stepped back, futilely wiping her face. "How could you do that? Do you even care at all about me? About us?"

Jade balked like she'd been slapped in the face. "Are you kidding me? Do I care about you? You know I do, and I'm _not_ playing this game with you. Don't make this fight about that."

"It's not a game to me. It's hard to tell sometimes what you're feeling… if you're feeling anything at all. You hide behind you sarcasm and your temper and I've just accepted it before… now I find out you're willing to lie to me? I caught you this time. How many times have I missed it before now?" The Latina dipped her head and shook it, sniffling.

It was Jade's turn to move. She took a few tentative steps forward, angry but unnerved at Tori's words. She hadn't realized it before – was she really so closed off? So defensive? She knew she was to everyone else but she thought Tori could see through it. "I don't lie."

"You lie to our friends all the time." Valid point.

"Fine, I don't lie to you." She huffed.

"… Are you kidding me?" Tori made a sound that could have potentially been a bitter laugh.

"Okay," Jade conceded "But this is the first time, Tori, I swear to God."

"How can I trust you on that?"

"Because… lying to you hurts more than this stupid hand." She sighed, anger evaporating as she conceded that there was a bigger issue at stake currently – Tori's feelings. She waved the disabled appendage half-heartedly in the air. "It doesn't bother me to lie to anyone else, you're right. But it bothers me when I lie to you. I don't like it, I don't like going behind your back, I don't like deceiving you. It just _feels_ wrong… and that's weird for me." With her good hand she reached for Tori's chin, which she jerked away angrily to maintain her concentrated gaze on the floor.

"It's the first time my conscience has bothered me in a long time." Jade dropped her pale hand and continued. "And that's all because of you. You've… made me different, Tori. I know I'm still an ass to a lot of people… I know I'm cold. But with you I feel warm. I feel safe, happy. I don't talk about my feelings – that's just not who I am. But I thought you knew how I felt. I thought you could see it in how I treat you compared to how I treat everyone else."

Tori glanced at her suspiciously and Jade knew she was searching for any signs of deceit. "I mean it, Tori."

"Then why'd you do it?" She lifted her head fully and tucked a few wayward strands behind her ear. It appeared as if she was finally beginning to calm down. The tears had slowed, her voice had cleared. There was still a lot of damage to be repaired though, Jade realized. Damage she had caused.

"Because I'm used to getting my way. I'm used to not giving a shit about others and doing exactly what I want to do, what I need to do to take care of myself. I had tried your way and it wasn't working and you weren't listening to me. I didn't know what else to do. I didn't do this to hurt you though, I swear. I don't ever want to do anything to hurt you… but I'm getting pretty sick of hurting too." As if on cue her hand began to tense and throb; Jade inhaled sharply before she could catch herself and grabbed it, massaging the sore bones. She watched as the cyborg tracked the movement and noted the conflict in her eyes – she wanted to ease Jade's pain but was still too wounded, still too angry to reach out.

"Tori, I'm sorry I lied. I'm sorry I hurt you." A ghost of a smile flashed across the Latina's face. She sniffled again. "What was that?" Jade furrowed her brows in confusion.

"I don't think I've ever heard those words leave your mouth."

"Yeah… they tasted pretty bad." The younger girl joked cautiously. "But I meant it. You'll get nothing but the ugly truth from me from now on."

A silence passed between them as Jade stared intently, praying she had gotten through to the cyborg. "I've still got a lot to think about… and I'm still mad at you." She finally conceded.

"I don't blame you." Jade nodded.

"And the truth doesn't have to be ugly. You could be honest and nice."

"That's asking a lot, Vega."

"… Then just no more lying."

"No more lying." The pale girl agreed, stepping closer and making move to wrap her arms around the sad girl.

Tori swatted her away and stepped back, bumping into the balcony door. "I told you I was still mad at you. I can't kiss you right now." Wounded, Jade crossed her arms and retreated backwards. "I'm sorry, Jade. I just need some time to sort through all of this right now." She stared at her expectantly, eyes flickering towards the door.

It took Jade a moment before realization hit her. "Oh… I get the couch tonight."

" 'Fraid so." Tori slipped by her and grabbed Jade's pillow off their bed.

"… I didn't make you sleep downstairs when we were fighting." She countered as the cyborg steered her towards the exit.

"I didn't lie. See you in the morning, Jadelyn. I love you." The last part was little more than a whisper, but rang clear in the scientist's ears. Despite their explosive fight she felt strangely at ease. Yes, she had lied. Her girlfriend was pissed at her. Her plans had been ruined. She was sleeping on the _couch_. But right now that didn't matter – her troubled conscience was finally cleared, and she and Tori had finally discussed issues that had apparently been simmering under the surface for some time. If the situations had been reversed Jade knew she would have just tried to shut down, would have ended the relationship because she felt like all trust had been violated and destroyed.

Tori made her different, and that didn't scare Jade anymore like it used to. The older girl knew her, and somehow managed to encourage her to confront her emotions rather than hiding behind her temper that could make the bravest man turn and flee for the hills. And, even though Tori didn't always understand her, she had patience for her when things became difficult between them. Like tonight. Yes, she had lied. Her girlfriend was pissed at her. Her plans had been ruined. Yes, she was even sleeping on the damn couch. But right now she couldn't help but fall in love with the sad, beautiful girl on the other side who, right now, was probably curling up in their bed alone.

"I love you too, Tori." She whispered towards the door before descending down the stairs.

Just on the other side, as she slipped under the covers fully clothed (but too emotionally exhausted to change), Tori allowed a small smile to claim her lips.

* * *

**AN: AND NOW, BEDTIME. I don't want to teach in the morning D: Or, as the Romans say, "Mane docui non volo." ... Or something like that. Words. Bed. Grad school. _UGH LIFE_.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Slightly shorter chapter than what y'all are used to. Y'all gots to bear with me as I readjust to my schedule. I was on campus today for 12 hours - it looks like Mondays are going to be my hardest day for the next few months. But I have all Thursdays off. Woot! But now I'm tired... so tired.  
**

* * *

Tori awoke late the next morning, an uncommon occurrence for her, and instinctively reached for the warmth she presumed to be next to her. She grappled blindly for a moment and found purchase not on her lover's body but crisp sheets instead. A chocolate eye opened lazily, squinting in the harsh light as she searched through her foggy brain. The events of last night returned to her slowly and she groaned, burying her face in her pillow. _Jade_. The cyborg wondered if she was still downstairs on the couch or if she'd wandered into town already.

_Maybe I'll stay in bed all day_. She considered briefly, rolling onto her back and staring blearily at the ceiling. She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hands as her thoughts drifted – was she still mad at Jade? Upset, definitely. Wounded, for sure. Confused, yes. Mad? She didn't know. The past few weeks had been emotionally draining for her – Jade's mood had only worsened as her pain continued, and the scientist often took out her temper on her and any other unfortunate roommate who happened to cross her path. Tori had been walking on eggshells as she determined how to best handle the walking time-bomb that was her girlfriend, had struggled with the guilt that came with knowing she was the reason her love was in such pain. Anxiety had all but consumed her and she lay awake most nights when Jade really thought her to be asleep, listening to her angry mutterings, watching as her face contorted in pain when she was able to sleep.

She thought back to all their conversations – the ones where bargaining ultimately turned into screaming. When, over the course of the past few months, had Jade started lying to her? When had the doctor come into play? The cyborg bit her lip as she tried to pinpoint when, if, the other girl's attitude had changed, or when she had picked up any suspicious behavior. It was impossible to do so; Jade was just too good of an actress. The conversation last night hung over her conscience like a storm cloud, darkening her mood; how often had she lied? And about what?

Tori groaned and pushed herself upright, hoping a change in scenery would change her attitude. She _wasn't_ an insecure girl often, but learning of Jade's dishonesty had stripped her of all her confidence. She didn't know how to handle it, how to overcome those feelings, and that worried her. She glanced again at Jade's empty side of the bed and frowned – she needed to be away from everything that reminded her of the pale scientist right now. She needed time to refresh, time to improve her mood before she tackled the serious issues around the corner. Tori swung her legs over the side of the bed and planted her feet on the floor, studying them. Hard titanium pressed against soft flesh – even a sight she was so accustomed to seeing had now become a reminder of the argument from last night. She rested her hands on her legs and stared intently at them. What she wouldn't give to be all organic again – to just be _human_.

She closed her eyes and imagined what her life had been like before the accident. She had been a dancer, had played volleyball in college. She used to be so proud of her body, and rightly so. She worked _hard_ to look how she did, to be able to dance and move the way she did. All that had changed the night of the accident; she didn't dance anymore, didn't play sports. It's not that she couldn't – she was probably more capable now than she ever had been before – it's that she wouldn't. Half of her body wasn't her own anymore. It was mechanical, inorganic… it almost felt like cheating, and it reminded her of what she'd lost. Her movement wasn't beautiful anymore, it wasn't art. It was engineered, calculated, cold.

Jade often chastised her for thinking that way, reminding her that her grandfather could have saved himself the time and provided her with clunky, ugly limbs. Ones that were merely practical or utilitarian, Spartan. He had studied her though, made her new limbs as similar to her old as he possible could. He took excellent care in their craft, in their composition. He had made them beautiful, functioning works of art fit for any exhibition. Jade reminded her of Madison and his grotesque cyberprosthetics, how in building them for function alone he had inadvertently reflected his inner being – a monster. Tori's limbs reflected the grace and strength she obviously possessed and she should be proud of them.

Of course, Jade was a techno-junkie. She loved tinkering, dismantling, rebuilding, creating… any activity in which she could challenge her creativity and get her hands oily. Of course she would think Tori's limbs were beautiful, and that sometimes made the Latina wonder if that's why she had been attracted to her in the first place, if their entire relationship was built upon the foundation of Jade's weird fetish with technology. _"Would you even like me if I wasn't part robot?"_ She had asked her one day, shortly after Jade had suggested opting for amputation. The pair had been lounging on the couch, the younger girl cuddled in a half-drugged state in the cyborg's lap.

Jade had given her an incredulous look, as if Tori had grown an extra head. _"Are you kidding me?"_ She had snorted. _"I mean, yeah, I love your prostheses. Their ingenious. But they're not the reason I love you."_ The raven-haired girl had shifted in her seat, her uninjured hand cupping Tori's face as she smiled. _"I love you for what's in here,"_ she gently tapped her between the eyes, _"And for what's in here."_ Her hand rested gently on Tori's chest, directly over her heart.

"_You realize my mind and heart both have robotics and circuitry in them, right?"_ The Latina couldn't help but smile as her foggy eyes attempted to register disdain.

"_Fine. Ruin my moment. You're really not taking advantage of the good mood my pain medication is putting me in." _Jade huffed and pushed off Tori's chest, trying to gain control over her protesting legs to walk away.

"_I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I couldn't resist. Come back."_ She grabbed the pale body before she could stumble out of reach and pulled her close, nuzzling her nose into Jade's neck and gently tracing patterns over her injured hand.

"_I love you no matter what, Tori. I'd love you if you were entirely human, if you were a stumpy double amputee, if you had a peg leg and a hook for a hand… and some stupid little parrot on your shoulder. It doesn't matter what you're made of. It matters who you are."_ Jade promised her, running a gentle hand through chestnut tresses. _"And I look forward spending the rest of my life assuring you of that whenever you begin to question it."_

Tori's eyes fluttered open as the memory faded and again studied her limbs, focusing intently on the inorganic ones. She lifted her hand and wiggled her fingers, listening absently to the soft whisper of metal scraping against metal. This is what Jade wanted now, what she had lied for, what they fought over almost daily. Her recent conversation with Cat echoed in her mind and she thought of Kevin and his ordeal… "Ugh. Too much." Tori pushed herself out of bed, stripping out of yesterday's clothes and pulling on a fresh set. She needed fresh air, needed to get out of the house and away from things that did nothing more but remind her of last night. Maybe she'd go for a run – focus on her burning lungs and patterned footfalls instead.

She slipped quietly down the stairs, sure that Jade would still be passed out cold on the couch. She was surprised to find the younger girl wasn't there – her blanket and pillow lay strewn across the floor. Tori paused on the landing, listening for signs of activity in the bathrooms of kitchen. Nothing. _This place is pretty damn empty all the time for seven people living here._ Tori huffed as she continued down the stairs, pausing momentarily to finger Jade's pillow. Where could she have gone already? Her eyes narrowed angrily as suspicion crept in. _Surely she wouldn't have gone to see the doctor again_. She snatched her hand back and stormed out the door, muttering angry nothings to herself as she hit the sidewalk and broke into a brisk jog.

* * *

Jade awoke early to the scent of dark roasted coffee being shoved under her nose. "Put it on the bedside table, baby, I'll get it in a minute." She muttered, dragging her blanket over her face.

"Oh, so you call her baby. You never had any petnames for me." Beck's voice cut through her drowsiness, bringing the events from last night rushing back.

"Ugh… well it's ironic. You were a much bigger baby than she's ever been." Jade groaned, yanking the covers back and pushing herself upright. She smoothed down her wild hair and rubbed her eyes before taking the proffered mug, taking a gratefully deep sip. The dark liquid scalded as it washed down her throat and forced any remaining grogginess away.

"You're so pleasant in the morning… why'd we break up again?" Beck replied dryly, easing himself down onto the coffee table in front of her.

"Because you're a klepto with an attitude problem." He rolled his eyes and sat down his own cup, resting his elbows on his knees.

"So… ready to talk about last night?" Jade shot him a sharp look from behind her mug.

"No, but I'm ready to strangle that little pissant. Where is he?" She glanced back towards the bedroom he shared with Robbie – it was cracked open. Last night, after she'd been banished from the bedroom, she had wandered downstairs to lick her wounds and demand Sinjin's head on a platter.

"Haven't seen him since last night. He took off when you stormed upstairs and hasn't been back since. You know he's probably his friends' place."

"I hope he froze in the cold. Little fucker." She spat bitterly, taking sadistic joy in imagining his frozen carcass on the sidewalk somewhere.

"Yeah… there's always that." He smiled in that classic Beck manner before tilting his head almost imperceptibly. "You lied to her… how's she handling that?"

"… Not well. I don't know. It's just a big clusterfuck misunderstanding. I really don't want to talk about it, Beck." Jade stared forlornly up the stairs. The sun was just now rising (much to her disdain). She wondered if Tori would be coming down anytime soon.

"I don't see how there's much to be misunderstood… We kind of heard all the yelling all the way down here."

"… Okay. Fine. I was planning on talking to the doctor about the surgery. But then he got here and we got sidetracked."

"You got sidetracked…" He repeated in disbelief. "With talk about the weather? Moose hunting season?"

"He worked with dad." She drained the last of her coffee and rose to her feet, brushing past him in search of more.

"He… oh. Oh wow. Is that good news or bad?"

"It's good. Or I thought it was. But Tori's never going to let it go." She sighed, stirring a spoonful of sugar into the dark brew.

"Did you tell her that he knew your dad?"

"I didn't really get a chance, Beck. As I'm sure you heard." That was just another reason she wanted to move out of the lodge – there was absolutely no privacy.

"Well, let's go get him. Maybe she'll calm down if she knows the whole story."

"I doubt it. Just let her be angry… it's what she wants right now."

"Jade, stop." The tone in his voice made her glance up, brow raised. "Stop this self-pitying-sulking-whatever it is. You messed up, yeah. It happens. But there's also more to the story here than she knows. Just present the information to her and see what she wants to do with it. If nothing else you can say you tried to make peace, and _then_ you can sulk."

Her eyes narrowed angrily. "I _don't_ sulk."

"You're cranky and you sulk. They're some of your best character traits."

The pale girl huffed and rolled her eyes, turning her attention dourly back to her swirling coffee. "See? You're doing it now. Come on, let's go. Maybe we can track him down before he wanders off for the day."

* * *

Tori returned home some time later, lungs burning and face flushed despite the cold temperatures outside. She hauled herself up to the front door and kicked it open without ceremony, happily exhausted and running off a serious dose of endorphins that had greatly improved her mood. First order of business would be a cold shower, then she'd grab a bowl of ice-cream and plug herself in to their television and stream some of her favorite movies she pirated to her harddrive before her forced hibernation. Patrick had often chastised her for that but it was of no consequence to her anymore – she'd tried tracking down a copy of Breakfast Club on her own a few weeks ago and was shocked to see that only a few copies remained and they were selling for an obscene price.

Her plans were interrupted when she noticed the living room was currently occupied. Jade and Beck looked surprised by her sudden appearance, but she was more concerned with the stranger on their couch whose eyes were as wide as saucers. "Speak of the devil and she will appear." He beamed, rising to his feet.

At his comment Tori tore her gaze from the strange man and settled it suspiciously on her girlfriend, her good mood quickly evaporating as she developed an inkling of who this might be. Taking her cue, Jade rose to her feet. "This is Erwin Sikowitz – he's the new doctor in town. He – Tori, damn it! Come back!"

The Latina spun on her heel and headed right back out the door, her face contorted into an angry scowl. How dare she bring him into their home, when not even a day ago they had gotten into a screaming match over him. She took the stairs two at a time and hit the pavement running, not having a clue as to her destination but knowing she didn't want to be at the house, near her lover that was intent on driving the wedge further between them. "Vega!" Jade appeared next to her, much to Tori's surprise; the younger girl smoked too much and exercised too little to keep up with the cyborg's jogging habits.

"Leave me alone, Jade." Tori panted, picking up her speed. She knew if she kept running long enough she'd eventually lose her shadow.

"No. If you had given me half a second to explain inside – "

"I didn't need half a second to understand. Did you really think you could bring him here and have him convince me?"

"That wasn't the plan." Jade wheezed, obviously struggling to keep pace.

"Just get him away from me. I don't want to see him. I don't want to talk to him." The pale girl was beginning to fall behind. Tori smirked and pressed forward, ignoring the aching in her already tired legs. "I don't want to talk shop with him. I don't want to hear what he has planned." By this point Jade had stopped completely and rested, hands on her knees, in the growing distance. "I don't want to have anything to do with him at all!"

"He worked with dad!" Jade yelled between gasps. The cyborg stopped mid-stride, nearly tumbling over her own feet. She turned back to the younger girl and narrowed her eyes. "Sikowitz. Worked with dad. They were best friends. He tried to help him find you." Her voice was pitched and breathy and she grabbed a nearby fence with her good hand for support. "Holy chiz. My lungs." She threw her streaked head back and sucked in precious air. Tori shook her head and crossed her arms, making her way slowly back to her girlfriend.

"I told you to stop smoking." She chided.

"Well I didn't expect to have to go sprinting after anyone. Ever." Jade snarled defensively.

"You'll be fine. What about Sikowitz?" She wasn't inclined to be sympathetic at this point – her nerves were still too raw.

"Do a search on him, tech-head. He's legit." Tori closed her eyes as she activated her wireless, running an image search for the man she had only glimpsed briefly. "Chase got to him. Did what they did to Trina. He managed to escape and make it up here."

"He worked at Compass. Why trust him?" Her eyes remained closed as she studied the search results.

"I didn't at first. That's why I never brought him around. I kept you a secret to keep you safe. I kept meeting with him to make sure he was okay… it didn't have anything to do with the surgery." By this point her breathing had calmed and she was capable of standing on her own again. She took a few cautious steps towards Tori, pausing just out of arm's reach.

"It did initially." Tori quipped.

"Initially, yes." Jade snapped angrily. "But…" Tori could hear her tone soften, could practically see the lines of her face soften despite her closed eyes. "That's not why I brought him here. I wanted you to meet him. He was one of dad's best friends… He's been waiting years to meet you. And I thought you might like to meet him too. He's one of the only connections we have to dad, Tori."

The Latina exhaled heavily and frowned – despite her frustration she couldn't ignore Jade's message. If Daniel and Sikowitz had been as close as Jade professed she knew she definitely wanted to speak with him, to share stories. To actively walk away from that would be like walking away from the man she had considered a little brother. She couldn't fathom it. Content with her search results from now, Tori opened her eyes and refocused her gaze on the raven-haired girl before her. Though her face was composed she could see those blue eyes begging her to agree, begging her to return home.

Without another word Tori brushed past Jade in the direction of the lodge. "This was Beck's idea, you know. So don't be mad at me for bringing a stranger into the house."

"Don't push your luck, West. I'm still mad at you anyway." She dropped her arms to her side and glanced sideways at the winded girl.

"Can't blame you… least this time I was _trying_ to do the right thing." She smirked in response, glancing down in surprise when she felt Tori's titanium fingers lace through her own. "But I guess you can't resist me either way?"

"Keep it up and I'll crush this hand too."

"Don't make me break your face."

"Don't make me break _your_ face."

"… Wow."

Tori stepped through the door apprehensively, silently studying the man whom Jade had permitted entrance to their home. Her certainly didn't _look_ like a scientist; he looked more like a dirty hippie. "Wow!" He jumped up from the couch when he caught sight of her. An _excited_ dirty hippie. "Victoria, you're every bit as fantastic as Daniel told me." He greeted, taking her hand between his own and shaking it vigorously. The cyborg shot Jade a nervous look and she just shrugged in response.

"It's… just Tori." She replied, unsure of how to approach the situation. "It's nice to meet you, doctor."

"Oh – call me Sikowitz. I've been waiting so long to meet you. After Daniel … well, I never thought I'd see the day. It's such a pleasure." He was still shaking her hand. She pulled it gingerly from his grasp and wrung it absently.

"I'm nothing special." She muttered, forcing a smile as she suddenly became aware of how intently he was staring at her. It was the same hungry look Jade had given her when they had first met.

"Of course you are! You're a legend! I can't tell you how many hours I had to listen as Jade's father went on and on about you. I remember one time – "

Jade, sensing her obvious discomfort, stepped forward and put a protective hand on Tori's arm. "Sikowitz, bring it back a few notches. I didn't bring you here to scare her. I was hoping we could sit down… catch up." Her tone wasn't missed. _Shut up before I shut you up,_ it threatened.

"Ah…" The older man took a slight step backwards to permit the women to pass. They claimed a seat on the couch and Jade nodded at a chair opposite from them, one that placed the coffee table between them. "Of course. I've got questions of my own, that's for sure. But I will give you this round, Tori. I'm an open book – is there anything you'd like to know?"

Tori gaped at him for a moment. Yes, there a million things she wanted to ask him – how'd he find this place? How'd he get here? Where had he been the past few years? How did she know they could really trust him? There were so many things she _needed_ to know, she realized, but only one thing she _wanted_ to know. "You were Daniel's friend?" She mirrored his slight nod. "Can you tell me about him?" She wanted to know about the man her little man had grown up to be.

* * *

Lara tapped her pen impatiently on her notepad as the phone rang for the fifth time. She frowned at the table as it continued to remain unanswered, her sister's growing amusement becoming increasingly obvious as the seconds passed. After the eleventh ring she hung up, tossing the receiver onto the table angrily. "Where is he?" She huffed.

"Maybe he was found out! Maybe the cyborg is on to him. Maybe she's torturing him slowly and he's revealing your malicious intentions bit by - ow!" Lillie rubbed her forehead vigorously where the pen bounced off. "Mean." She stuck out her tongue as she retrieved the utensil from the table before it could again be hurled in her direction.

"Meaner." Lara reciprocated, and for a few seconds the sisters entered into a face-making contest. "Ugh, whatever." She rolled her eyes when the other girl puffed out her cheeks and crossed her eyes, pushing away from the table and moving to the window to compose herself. She wasn't in the mood to laugh at her sister tonight. The Van Cleef boy had missed their meeting last night. They had discussed the possibility of it happening before - afterall, sometimes some thing was bound to interfere with their secret phone calls. It was understood that, if that ever happened, he was to return to the phone booth promptly at 5 PM the next day. She'd try to re-establish contact with him for the next three days. If he missed that window their contact would be terminated permanently.

"You're wasting your time." Lillie chimed behind her. "Can we please just forget about the girl? Whenever she comes up you get all serious and boring. If I'd known you were going to be like this I wouldn't have let you get so obsessed with the fact that someone _else_ had claimed to found her."

Lara sighed and glanced over her shoulder. "We _can't_ forget about her. She's a big deal. It's not like I'm holding us back. We've still got a few weeks before we're ready to move."

"I suppose." Lillie muttered, unconvinced, as she tucked her legs underneath her. "So what are you going to do if he won't pick up? It's not like you can go track him down in Sanctum." Her younger sister turned quickly, her eyes shining excitedly. Lillie groaned and threw her head back. "Ugh, Lara! No! Norris isn't going to let us back! I bet he still has our pictures posted on the gate." Her face glassed over as she began to plot; she chewed on her thumbnail absently as she turned back to the window. "That wasn't meant to be a challenge. Stop it!" She was already too consumed with her thoughts to listen to her sister's shrill whining. _Me and my big mouth_, she huffed to herself, dragging herself out of her chair and out of the room before she got roped into senseless plotting.

Meanwhile, Lara smiled to herself. By this point she was convinced the cyborg Van Cleef spoke of wasthe one - _the_ Victoria Vega. Their original plan was to have him deliver her here anyway ... but after the past few days he hadn't exactly proven himself reliable. _If you want something right_... She'd go. She'd bring back the cyborg. She was tired of sitting around here waiting anyway. She refocused her gaze to the distance, in what she guessed was the general direction of Sanctum. _Get ready, Norris, I'm coming to see you again... and things aren't going to work in your favor this time around._


	6. Chapter 6

**Whew... worked through this writer's block. And it only took two weeks :P ... Oh well. Thanks for being patience, you guys! You're beautiful. I just hope all of you come back for this chapter and the following. Don't leave me!**

* * *

Sinjin pressed his ear to his bedroom door and frowned; he could still hear the muffled voices of Jade, Tori, and (who he assumed to be) Sikowitz just feet away in the living room. He had bolted last night when Jade went on her rampage only to sneak back in the early hours when he prayed she'd be in bed. He had tip-toed past the sleeping girl, pausing momentarily to bask in the angelic glow of Jade's beauty – she was so peaceful when she wasn't awake. He didn't linger long though, he knew that at any moment she could stir and that angel's façade could melt away to reveal a beast fueled by a white-hot fury. He knew better than to be around when the dragon woke up. He had barricaded himself in his room with plans to sleep until she left and then disappear again.

However, he hadn't counted on sleeping as late as he did, and he definitely didn't count on Jade spending practically all day at home. He was trapped – his bedroom windows were painted shut and the only exit was through the living-room and out the front door. If Jade saw him he … well… he didn't want to consider what would happen. So he sat against the door, listening to the muffled conversation going on behind him and anxiously checking his watch – he had missed his phone call with his contact last night. He only had a few more chances to redeem himself and it looked like it wasn't going to happen tonight either.

He heard heavy footfalls pass behind him and he tensed – it was Jade's stride. He dropped to his stomach and pressed his face to the ground, catching a glimpse of the scene before him through the sliver of a gap between the door and floor. _How can people just sit around and talk?_ He thought to himself, drumming his fingers impatiently on the floor. He didn't understand the draw of human interaction; nothing productive ever came of it. People were messy, emotional, ruled too much by passion rather than logic. Interpersonal relations were doubly complicated and confusing. He needed them to get their chit-chats out now so he could catch the next phone call!

Jade paused before Sinjin and Robbie's room, drumming her ringed fingers against the mugs in her hands as she stared intently at the door. She hadn't seen Sinjin since he had bolted last night and there had been no sign of him in town. She wondered, briefly, if there was a chance he was hiding in there, listening to their conversation like the little weasel he was. She repositioned the glasses in her injured hand and reached for the knob – a quick look wouldn't hurt. "Jade?" Tori's voice snatched her attention. "Do you need help?"

"No, I've got it." The pale girl replied, quickly redistributing the weight to alleviate the strain on her shaking hand. "I'm coming." She breathed, glancing sideways at the door once more before walking away. She wasn't worried – she'd find him soon enough. She returned to the couch and passed off the drinks to Sikowitz and Tori, grateful to find the Latina had closed the gap between them while she was gone. The older man was doing a fantastic job at putting her better at ease and she knew he was providing invaluable information to fill in the blanks in Daniel's life that Jade couldn't.

The conversation seemed to have shifted since she left – they were currently discussing their recent fight. She shot the pair an apprehensive look as their attention settled on her. "I understand my arrival has caused significant friction between you two. I was just apologizing to Tori here."

"And I was about to tell him that it's nothing to do with his arrival… just how my girlfriend chose to go behind my back about it." Tori finished, squeezing Jade's knee just a bit more than was comfortable – the cyborg was obviously still harboring some hard feelings against her.

"You really ought to be more straightforward with the people you care about, Jadelyn." Sikowitz shook his head. "Lying? For shame."

The inventor gaped at both of them. She opened her mouth to retort in her typical angry fashion only to clamp it shut. "I've learned the error of my ways, Pa! Won't catch me lyin' again!" Sarcasm was better than anger, right?

"I don't talk like that!" Tori huffed, retracting her hand and crossing her arms.

"Oh, I don't know. It's exaggerated but there is a definite resemblance." Sikowitz mused absently, blowing the steam from the surface of his tea before taking a tentative sip. Jade had to avert her gaze to the ceiling to prevent herself from laughing.

The conversation ambled on well into the night before they wandered into dangerous territory. Surprisingly enough it was Tori that led them there, interrupting Sikowitz's anecdote about his final days with Daniel.

"You two are still considering the cyborg surgery, aren't you?" Jade glanced sharply at her, blue eyes widening anxiously. Tori stared back unwaveringly – the pair had successfully danced around the issue all day and she wanted the truth. Jade wasn't going to pull one over on her again.

"It's… well. Yeah. I'd really like to explore my options, Tori." Jade admitted. "But I don't plan on following through with any treatment without your input." She picked at her nails intently to avoid eye contact. "It's not like I plan on going out back and chopping my hand off with the axe, though at this point at least I wouldn't only have to suffer with the stump."

"I think it's safe to say that we want to make Jade as comfortable as we can while avoiding any unnecessary dangers. Surgery is definitely an option, but only one of them. I'm sure you've done some research… since you're day we've developed alternatives to amputation." Sikowitz to the rescue. "I don't fully understand the tension with the issue, and it's not my place to pry, but I encourage you to take into consideration that I'm not just some quack… this is actually my specialty." He smiled hopefully, his sincerity ultimately causing Tori to reciprocate.

Tori tapped her index and middle fingers against her mug, the action producing a faint clinking sound that drew everyone's attention. She trusted what she knew of Sikowitz, but due to Jade's dishonesty the surgery issue was now one that made her pause. Maybe, though, with the older man involved she could feel more at ease with the situation. She knew he'd be honest with her. "I'm open to the options." She finally agreed, forcing a smile she knew everyone could tell was artificial. "As long as there aren't any more secrets about it."

"Of course! No more secrets! Not a one." His eyes flashed mischievously and he smiled at Jade. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously in response. "Since we're laying it all out on the table, did Jadelyn ever tell you of that time she brought home a dog and thought she could keep it from her father?"

"Oh hell – we're not telling that story again." Jade snapped.

"She had him fooled for all of 15 minutes, but Daniel let her believe she'd gotten away with it for almost a week. Every day he'd come in and tell me the story as it developed."

"Sikowitz!" She warned.

"To explain the urine smell in her room, she told him – "

"THAT'S IT. Out of my house!" She jumped to her feet and pointed to the door. He continued on unfazed, speaking intently and animatedly to Tori by this point. She made mood to scowl and stomp away but Tori grabbed her arm, dragging her back to the couch .At each passing second her flush deepened and she pinched the bridge of her nose as he continued on. "I hate you both." She muttered.

Sikowitz didn't leave until well after dark, and only because Jade literally forced him out of the door. "One too many cutesy stories, funny man." She huffed, throwing his scarf in his face as he fumbled with the buttons on his coat.

"I think she enjoyed them." Sikowitz beamed, waving to the cyborg behind her. "It was a pleasure to finally meet you, Tori. I'll be around to see you both soon!" He accepted the gloves she offered, pocketing them rather than tugging them on. "Stop being so cranky. It's nice to wander down memory lane every so often."

"I didn't get a chance to wander. You dragged me down it by my hair." She replied flatly, shutting the door in his face. With the older man gone she exhaled and leaned heavily against the wood, rolling her eyes towards the ceiling as she adjusted to the silence. She loved the older man, but he had been there _all afternoon_. It was emotionally draining to be an extrovert, to engage someone like him in conversation for hours on end.

"I like him." Tori yawned, rising to her feet and stretching her arms above her head. "He's so funny."

"Har har."

"You're just cranky because he exposed the fact that you used to be such a nice little girl… who would have ever guessed that the big bad West used to have a Chinchilla named Bubblegum?"

Pale blue eyes snapped open and focused sharply on the Latina, narrowing when she saw the smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "_You_ used to have a kitten named Princess."

"_I_ look like the type to have a kitten named Princess. _You_ look like the type to eat a kitten named Princess." She could no longer hide her amusement and her face split into a broad grin. "I can just see little Jadelyn running around with Bubblegum in her backpack."

"No way. Bubblegum had her own… nevermind."

"Bubblegum had her own… Oh my God. She had her own tote, didn't she?" Jade stormed past Tori and snatched up their mugs, stomping into the kitchen before the older girl could recover from her giggling fit. She threw them into the sink so roughly they almost shattered, cursing softly to herself as she turned on the hot water. "Don't be so mad, Jade." The cyborg's footsteps had been buried under the sound of the running tap, and Jade jumped lightly when a pair of arms slipped around her waist from behind.

"Those are stories I would have obviously like to have kept in the past." She grabbed a rag and set about scrubbing a dish that had been placed there earlier.

"I don't see what it hurts. It was only the three of us, it's not like it's going to damage your bad-girl reputation."

"That's not it."

"Then what is it?"

Silence. Jade finished cleaning the plate and rinsed it before placing it in the strainer. She picked up one of the recently deposited mugs and began work on it. "Jade." She whispered, resting her chin on the other girl's pale shoulder.

"It's not like I decided to be like this on a whim, Tori." She replied after a moment, scratching a particularly stubborn stain with a chipped green nail. "My childhood was great… up to a point. Once those memories start being dragged up they don't just remind me of 'the good old days.' They remind me that things used to be good and bad things changed them."

Tori frowned; she had never considered it that way. The difference between young Jade and Jade now was like day and night. Of course something would have had to ignite the fire the caused such a dramatic transition. The pair stood quietly for a moment, the silence only interrupted by the clinking of the china as Jade stacked it in the strainer. "I don't really know what that's like." Tori admitted.

"How can you not?" Jade replied. "You had the accident… do you not look back and get sad?"

Tori sighed. "Yes and no, I guess… When I think about my life before my parents died, before the surgery, it brings me down a little bit. But not so much that I want to shut the door to that part of my life forever. Those are good memories… those are moments in my life I wouldn't give up for anything. Instead I just try to not think about that huge rough patch."

"Guess I'm just not there yet." She muttered. Tori could detect bitterness in her response.

"Maybe one day you will be… I don't know _all_ the bumps you've hit in your life, but I know you've learned to cope with them in your own way. What helped me deal with losing mom and dad was talking to people about them. Not talking about the accident, but talking about _them_. Family holidays. Vacations. Birthdays. Even just talking about the little things. It helps separate them from only the bad memories I used to associate them with. They aren't just my dead parents," her voice cracked as she forced the words out. They tasted awful. "They're my parents… that passed away. They live in my memories now. If I shut the door on those memories I shut the door on them." Tori noticed that Jade had finished all the dishes at this point, and was idly polishing a spoon as she stared out the window that overlooked the back porch. "It sounded like Daniel tried really, really hard to give you a wonderful childhood… I'd really hate for you to lose those memories because something happened that took that life away from you."

She stared at Jade's reflection in the window. Her eyes were glazed over, she was obviously lost in thought. Tori wondered if she was considering her words or reliving the memories she had shut away for so long. Her expression gave no indication as to how she was feeling. "I'm not saying you have to talk to me if you don't want to… Or anyone. Maybe you could write everything down. I hear that helps too." She offered, releasing her grip on Jade's waist and stepping back.

Tori assumed Jade needed some time to herself and intended to retreat upstairs. She had only just made it to the kitchen door when she heard the other girl clear her throat. "Dad let me keep that dog I snuck into the house. It was a Catahoula mutt… he named it Rocky. He tried for the longest time to pretend he couldn't stand him, but I always found them napping together on the couch on the days he didn't work. Both of them would be snoring."

Tori smiled lopsidedly when Jade turned, surprised to see the typically dour girl mirror the action. "And he used to talk to him all the time in this weird Yogi Bear voice… I always teased him for it." Her eyes glazed again, but this time with tears. "He even tried to convince me that it was my idea to throw a birthday party for the stupid dog." She sniffled before releasing a thick chuckle. "He went so far as to help me bake a cake for him! Rocky hated it… it was horrible."

The cyborg stepped forward and took Jade's hands in her own. "Mom wanted a dog really bad once. She took me to get a little spaniel and when dad found out we told her that Trina whined and begged for one while we were at the mall and she ultimately just caved in… To this day, Trina has no idea." She nodded, doing the only thing she knew to encourage Jade to continue speaking. Daniel was their strongest connection. Despite this, Jade rarely spoke about him. She instead listened with rapt interest whenever Tori spoke of him but never shared any of her own stories. She wanted her to continue for both of their sakes – Jade needed to learn to be more comfortable talking about her life pre-Armageddon, and Tori desperately wanted to hear of their life together before the world went to hell. She could look up facts and statistics about her little man, read all the newspaper articles she wanted on him… none of that mattered to her, none of it told her who he really was, not even Sikowitz could tell her all she wanted. All that information was locked up tight inside of Jade and, for the first time, Tori felt like those old rusted hinges were beginning to groan, that the door to her past was beginning to inch open.

"Dad actually told her about that when I was eight." Jade laughed when Tori's brows perked. "I'm guessing you told him at some point?"

"Yeah… I did. I just can't believe he remembered it after all those years." The soft grip on her hands tightened before vanishing all together and Jade cautiously, tensely, tucked herself against the cyborg's body, as if she feared rejection. Tori wrapped her arms around the hips she knew so well and they melted together as they had so many times before.

"Are you kidding me? He remembered everything about you. He talked about you all the time." Jade replied as she rested her head in the crook of Tori's neck. "You consisted of the majority of my bedtime stories… the great and wonderful Tori Vega, the cyborg girl."

Tori swallowed back tears and shook her head. "Okay… those sound pretty lame. I'm sorry you had to suffer through them."

Though Jade barely heard her she smiled. If only she knew how wrong she was. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing the gentle perfume from Tori's clothes, allowing her mind to drift back through the years. Those nights were some of her favorite memories as a child, a routine she could rely on. She'd sit up and wait for her dad to take his place in the chair opposite her bed, exciting awaiting whatever tale he would tell that night. She knew at some point long ago he had probably run out of stories and was making them up as he went along. It never bothered her though, as a child she was easily infected by his enthusiasm and immediately drawn into the world he had created for her. Just for her.

"They weren't that bad, I guess. You kind of live up to the reputation… sort of. I was expecting more Terminator." She finally replied.

"If you want I can start speaking with an accent."

"I'll leave you if you do."

"Hasta la vista, baby." Tori did her best Schwarzenegger impression, puffing out her chest and flexing her grip around the woman in her arms.

"Yeah, bye." Jade pulled away from the cyborg and started briskly from the kitchen, only to have a metal hand grab the back of her shirt and stop her in her tracks.

"I'm done, I'm done. Don't skulk off." Tori spun the pale girl and pulled her back into her arms, her pale hands coming to a rest against her chest as a studded brow climbed up her forehead. "It's getting late… do you want to come upstairs and regale me with some stories of the great and wonderful Tori Vega, the cyborg girl?"

"I really don't think we need to inflate your ego anymore. It's in danger of bursting."

"You're one to talk."

"My ego is perfectly well proportioned. It might even be a little flat."

Tori leaned in swiftly and pecked her on the lips, surprising her younger companion. Her blue eyes flashed with confusion. "What was that for?"

"Bringing your ego back to the right size." She stepped back and, taking Jade's hand securely in her own, led her towards the stairs.

"Well, if you really want to inflate it…" She squeezed her hand suggestively.

"Is there a time you're not horny? Can't I just hold you tonight? It's been a rough few days for us, Jade, I've missed just having you near me." Despite her exasperation a smile still threatened to claim her face.

"A little heavy petting?" Jade smirked. Tori rolled her eyes in response. "At least let me grab your boob."

"You're impossible."

"Love me anyway?"

"…It's impossible not to."

* * *

"You don't need a make-up bag. It's going to be a three day trip, max." Lara tossed the heavy blue bag onto the sofa before zipping up her bag.

"Exactly – I could run into a lot of people in three days!" Lillie swatted her hands away and yanked the bag back open before returning the makeup to its original position.

"We're going to be in the truck! In the woods!" The younger sister huffed, throwing her hands up and stepping back. "You're impossible."

"You love me anyway."

"Don't press your luck, Adonis." Lara grabbed the map off the kitchen table and retraced their route for the umpteenth time. "You said the mountain pass was blocked. You're sure?"

"Just double-checked. Heavy snow in the area… it'll probably be a few more days before it's clear."

"Lower roads it is, then. Are you ready?"

"Which jacket should I bring? The Carhartt is more practical but my rabbit fur one is so much cuter." Lillie held up the two coats and examined them closely.

"Isn't that my Carhartt?" Lara squinted in the fading light.

"We're sisters. We share. I lose track." She tossed the rabbit fur coat behind her absently as she slipped on the heavier jacket, frowning as she swung her arms. "Makes me look frumpy."

"You're gorgeous. You done? Let's go."

"Oh, wait! Don't you need to make a phone call? See if you can't track down that Van Cleef kid?"

Lara sighed. It had been two days since she'd made contact with him, and since she'd made her decision to retrieve the cyborg herself she given up on ever reestablishing communications. Still, though, she supposed she should try. If nothing else perhaps he could provide a feel for the city. It had been years since she'd left Sanctum, she worried she'd be walking into a trap… at the very least she'd be walking in blind. It wasn't exactly an ideal situation, one she wanted to avoid if possible.

She checked her watch – they were already late leaving. She'd give him three rings _maybe_ before she wrote her liaison off entirely. She picked up the ancient receiver and punched in the number she'd long before memorized, fluffing her bangs in the mirror as she waited for the call to go through.

_One_.

_Tw-_

"Hello?" She recognized his voice immediately and was surprised by how frantic he sounded. "It's you, right? Tell me it's you."

"Where the hell have you been?" She snapped, hair forgotten as she spun to face her sister. She pointed to the phone before clenching her hand into a fist angrily.

"It's a long, long story."

"Well we don't have time for it. We're coming to Sanctum to retrieve the cyborg – we need details on the city."

"You're coming for me too, right? I get to come back with you?"

Lara had to bite her tongue to stifle a laugh. "… Yeah. Of course. If you can help us successfully get her out of the city we'll bring you both back." She lied, rolling her eyes. He hadn't proven himself reliable enough for her to want to include him among her ranks. She ran a tight ship, everything and every_one_ had to run smoothly. He began prattling on excitedly and she had to tear the phone away from her ear and bang it on the table to silence him. "I said _if_! Do you think you can manage to meet us outside the city tomorrow at dawn? "

"Definitely! … But how will I be able to find you?"

"Just head out the main gate and start walking, Van Cleef. We'll be looking for you. See you tomorrow." She disconnected the call before he could waste anymore of her time, tossing the phone to the side. "Well I think that just made things a little bit easier for us." The pale woman sighed as she zipped up her coat and made move to grab her bag.

"You really expect him to find us?" Lillie asked, slinging her own backpack over her shoulder.

"I hope so. He sounded determined enough. Hopefully nothing else will hold him up."

"Then we _will_ be meeting people. And you told me not to bring my makeup."

Lara chucked her bag in the back of their old Bronco and checked the magazine on her pistol before sliding it into the holster, questioning once more how she could possibly be related to the blonde climbing into the passenger seat. "Well at least we avoided that crisis. Let's hope that's the only one through which we have to persevere. You've got everything you need, right? Makeup, rope, pistol?"

"Check, check, and check! Let's go! Roadtrip time!" Lillie cheered, pumping her fist into the air. "Gonna go steal us a cyborg. I'm stoked."

Lara found herself smiling broadly as she shifted the truck into gear, spitting gravel as they peeled away from their home. They'd reach their destination well after nightfall, and she hoped that her patience with her sister wouldn't be worn through by then. It'd been a long time since they were cooped up together like this. _Focus on the prize, Lara. _She was so close she could hardly stand it. In a few hours she'd have the cyborg she'd sought after for years.

_And then the real fun will begin._

* * *

__**Because every chapter needs a little fluff here or there to take a break from the big plot :3 ... aww.  
**

**Night, lovelies!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I like it in theory, but during execution I found myself distracted by a number of things. And I got really pissy while writing it thanks to a close-minded highschool alum who made some very inappropriate and bigoted comments towards me and the gay community D: ... So I apologize if chunks of it seem off or rough or disorganized or what have you. Hope you still love me anyways :) because I love you guys!**

* * *

"Sinjin, you little fuck! Get back here! I'm going to rip your arms off and beat you to death with them!"

Tori started violently from her slumber and flailed blindly. She didn't know where the screaming was coming from, she didn't even particularly care why it was happening. She just wanted it to stop.

"Sinjin!" The cyborg clutched at her chest and tried to slow her pounding heart. She took a deep breath and glanced around, blinking away the sleep she'd been so rudely snatched from. As the fog melted away it occurred to her that she recognized the source of the bellowing that echoed through the house. Jade. Jade and Sinjin, apparently. Tori groaned and hauled herself out of bed, snatching her oversized t-shirt off the floor and tugging it over her head before she stumbled out the door. It was early, she realized with mild surprise. The sun wasn't even up yet, though after consulting her internal clock she saw it would be soon. Why was Jade even awake?

More importantly, why did she feel the need to wake the whole house as she tore it apart around them?

Tori paused halfway down the stairs and leaned over the banister, watching with sleep-deprived irritation as the younger girl kicked and pounded on Sinjin's bedroom door. "Jade." She called, her voice hoarse and raspy. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Jade. _Jade_. It's 5:00 in the morning. What are you doing?"

Without relinquishing her firm grip on the knob she turned to face Tori. "I came down here for a glass of water and saw the little creep heading for the door! I'm going to destroy him," she turned back to the door. "Hear that? DESTROY YOU!" She yelled.

From beneath her feet Tori heard a muffled shuffling and, seconds later, a sleepy Cat pushed her cupboard door open and peeked her head out. "Jade." She whined. Despite her exhaustion and utter frustration Tori couldn't help but smile as the disoriented redhead attempted to make sense of the situation. "What's going on?"

"She finally found Sinjin… she's apparently trying to destroy him." Tori yawned, catching her attention. Cat screwed her head up and smiled sleepily at the cyborg above her, cocking her head to the side after a moment.

"Oh, hey Tori. I can see your underwear." The Latina locked her knees together and blushed, silently cursing herself for not putting on shorts… mostly cursing Jade for causing such a scene so early.

"Jade." She chose to ignore the comment and instead continued down the stairs. "Just leave him alone. I know you want to eat him and pick your teeth with his bones but he's really not worth it this morning, and I think you've woken everybody in the house at this point."

"No I haven't."

"Yes, you have!" Came Andre and Beck's voice down the hall, muffled by their bedroom door.

"I'm personally not a fan of the screaming either." Robbie's voice sounded from Sinjin's room.

"Come back to bed. Destroy him at a decent hour." She placed a gentle hand on Jade's wrist, squeezing it to encourage her to release her death grip on the doorknob. Tori recognized the determined gleam in those blue eyes and sighed. "Come on… there are other things we could be doing that won't wake everyone." She leaned in and kissed the tender skin below Jade's earlobe. While rage was a powerful motivator Tori had found that Jade's sex drive tended to overpower all.

"That actually wakes us up more than you think… we've been meaning to talk to you about it."Cat chimed from behind them, only deepening Tori's blush.

"Jade. Bed. Please? It's far too early for me to have been embarrassed this much already."

The pale girl glanced side-long at her and rolled her eyes, releasing an exasperated sigh. "Fine. You've only bought him a few hours anyway." She allowed the older girl to lead her back to the stairs. They were only a few paces away when the bedroom door swung open and Sinjin flew from the room and made a desperate dash from the front door. "Worm!" Jade snarled. It was only Tori's tight grip on her waist that kept her from bolting after him.

"What are you going to do, chase him down in the snow in your pajamas? You'll freeze in the snow or slip and break your neck. Just let him go!" She chastised, smoothing her wild raven hair. She dragged her up a few stairs before she stopped resisting and followed on her own volition. "Goodnight, guys! We're sorry. We're going back to bed now."

"Kay-kay." Cat yawned, disappearing back into her cupboard.

"Sweet dreams." Andre yelled.

"I need a new roommate." Robbie sighed as he pushed his bedroom door to.

Tori released Jade as they entered their bedroom, making a beeline straight for their bed and collapsing face-first onto it. Jade swung the door shut and lingered at the threshold, arms crossed as she chewed her lip in frustration. "Where do you think he was going?"

"Probably away from the murderous hell-beast that's trying to kill him." Came Tori's muffled reply. She yawned deeply before rolling over, propping herself up on her elbows and staring back. "It doesn't _matter_. It does you no good to be mad at him… if you hadn't been sneaking around behind my back in the first place he would have had no secret to give up."

"That's not the point."

"Then what is?"

"… He's a freak and I hate him."

Tori shook her head. "Oh yeah, really sound argument there. Would you just come over here and go back to sleep? We could still get another 3 hours in."

"I'm too pissy to sleep." Jade muttered.

The Latina stared at her for a moment before a small smile spread across her face. "Then come back over here anyway. We'll find something else to do."

Jade blinked and regarded her suspiciously. "Aren't you withholding sex as punishment? What's your angle?"

"Withholding sex is just as much punishment for me as it is for you..." She grabbed edge of her shirt and dragged it up sinfully slow, revealing that delicious tan flesh inch by inch. Suddenly she released the worn material and sighed. "But I suppose if you aren't in the mood…"

The pale girl licked her lips before she could stop herself and took a cautious step forward. "I didn't say I wasn't in the mood."

"No, no… it's okay. You can stay over there and seethe about Sinjin. I'll just entertain myself somehow." She raised a mischievous brow as her free hand ghosted across the hem of her panties, hooking it with the thumb and snapping the elastic.

The sound erased all thoughts of Sinjin from Jade's mind. Actually, it erased all thoughts of everything but her girl in front of her. "I think I'm better at entertaining you than you are yourself." She smirked, likening herself (in Tori's opinion) to a hungry wolf. She crossed the room in three quick strides and knelt at the foot of their bed, gently pushing the Latina hand away before she placed soft kisses on the most sensitive of areas, applying pressure with the tip of her tongue. The simplest of actions made Tori's breath catch, and she allowed her head to roll back and a low moan escape her lips. Jade smirked as she continued to plant kisses along the inside of her lover's thighs, nipping the tender skin every so often to draw more sounds from the Latina. Her thumb ghosted across the thin fabric of Tori's panties, pleased to find that they were already damp.

Wasting no more time, Jade hooked her fingers under the offensive fabric and dragged them down her long legs. She removed her own shorts and crawled onto the bed, straddling the toned girl at the hips. She ground against Tori slightly, savoring the jolt of pleasure that coursed through her body like electricity.

Tori smiled at her and laid back, freeing her arms to wrap around Jade's neck and pull her down. She kissed the other girl with restrained passion, and Jade realized she was trying her best to maintain composure and take things slowly, tenderly. She closed her teeth around Tori's bottom lip and chewed briefly, tugging the skin a fraction of an inch before releasing it.

Jade West had no intention of complying with her wishes tonight.

She smirked deviously and Tori huffed, knowing well by now how to predict her lover's aim. She gasped when Jade ground her hips again suddenly, and with much more pressure than before. "You don't play fair." She whispered thickly.

"What are you going to do about it?" Jade replied huskily, taunting Tori with hooded eyes. The Latina didn't respond. Instead she pulled Jade down again and kissed her again, this time without limit. Their tongues brushed and danced against each other, just as their fingertips danced along the surface of their skin. As the kiss deepened Jade relaxed herself against her lover, savoring the feel of their bodies pressed together despite the fabrics between them.

That's when Tori moved without warning, rolling both of them to the side so she could claim dominance of the situation. "You fall for that every time." She breathed, carefully pinning her hands over her head.

"Not fair, Vega!" Jade grunted; she hated when the Latina managed to pull one over on her so easily, especially when she had the element of strength in her favor. Jade tugged against Tori's grip futilely, cursing her inorganic advantage.

"Like you ever play fair." She purred, assaulting the pale skin on her throat, kissing and nipping until the area was bright red. She carefully released Jade's wrists, regarding her cautiously as she pulled the younger girl upright just enough to tug her shirt over her head. She traced the tip of her tongue across her left breast, just over the ridge of her bra, before dipping it into the cavern between them, planting small kisses as she went. The longer she kept her steady, gentle pace the more it drove Jade absolutely insane.

Jade, impatient as always, reached behind her and unclasped her bra, yanking it off and tossing it across the room. Tori chuckled and turned her attention to her nipple and taking it between her teeth to tease it with her tongue while her cyborg hand cupped the other. Her pale body tensed and dimpled with goosebumps as the cold metal assaulted tender flesh. Her hands knotted in Tori's wavy tresses, encouraging her to continue, intensify her ministrations. She lifted her hips off the bed, applying more delightful pressure to both of their aching centers. The sudden action made Tori whimper in pleasure, inadvertently clamping down harder on Jade's sensitive skin more than she intended. The raven-haired girl hissed in response and she arched further into the embrace – she loved a little abuse.

Tan fingers danced their way down Jade's torso, each feather-like brush sending chills through her body. She rolled over to the side and grabbed the hem of her panties before dragging them down her legs and dropping them to the floor. Tori could see her glistening in the early morning light and a smile claimed her lips. She repositioned herself between those pale legs and licked away the juices, dipping her tongue into Jade's center and savoring the throaty moan it elicited. "Tor." She groaned, thrusting her hips. The cyborg needed no more encouragement. She slid two fingers into her and dragged her tongue upwards, swirling it around that sensitive nerve bundle.

Jade's chest heaved with ragged breaths as pleasure spread through her body, leaving her fingertips and toes numb. She dug her nails into the Latina's shoulder, knowing full well she probably just broke the skin. If Tori was in pain she didn't show it, she continued her worship uninhibited, spurred on by the sounds her companion emitted.

Tori inserted another finger and curled them, applying pressure in all the places she knew would drive Jade over the edge. It wasn't long before she felt muscles clamping around her fingers, signaling the start of her climax. The scientist's body went rigid as ecstasy overwhelmed her and she thrust her head back as the whimpers escalated into moans into practically screams. "Oh God, Tori!" She cried, nearly bucking the older girl off the bed. Tori pressed down on Jade's hips with her cyborg arm and withdrew her fingers, putting them to better use as she massaged the higher button of nerves.

Jade's limbs felt like they were made of jelly. She forced her eyes open and released a ragged breath, though one that was entirely satisfied. Tori reappeared in her line of vision seconds later, her skilled hand cupping her cheek as she kissed her gently on the lips; they were still damp from her own fluids. Jade numbly tangled her fingers in her brown hair and held her there firmly, finally regaining enough control over her legs raise her knee and press it against Tori's need.

The Latina pulled away panting and rested her forehead against Jade's, her eyes fluttering shut. She used her momentary lapse of control to roll them over once again, pinning her body to the bed. "Let's wake up everyone downstairs." She whispered mischievously, nibbling Tori's earlobe.

"I think we already did that." Tori giggled.

Jade pulled away and trained her gaze, studded brow climbing up her forehead. "Let's do it again."

* * *

Sinjin's breath came out in thin streams of fog as he trotted down the road away from Sanctum. He had slipped past the guards with relative ease – they hadn't given him a second look once he flashed his identification, one all citizens of the town were supplied. He was practically skipping with excitement – finally! After weeks of proving himself he had finally won the favor of the leaders of a Horsemen faction. They were going to take him away from this technologically strapped place; he was going to be around his own kind.

He hoped the rumors he'd heard about them were true. His friends in town had told him that the Horsemen were leading a new charge – they had accomplished their goal years ago with Armageddon. They had eradicated the technological virus that plagued the world, crippling it. They had stripped the power from those undeserving to wield it. Now was time to establish a new regime, to drag humanity out of the pit they had been cast into.

The Flood waters had receded. Now was time to rebuild the world the right way – power would be put into the hands of those with society's best interest, not their wallets, at heart.

And _he_ was going to be a part of that. It was hardly too much to contain. It was why he had so willingly helped the mystery woman on the phone, had so happily given up such privy information. He knew Jade and Tori wouldn't understand… not initially. He had to prove to them that what he was doing was right, was good. And he _would_ convince them, they would. They'd convince everyone.

If he could just find the damned rendezvous point.

The blonde glanced over his shoulder – the gates of Sanctum were a mere dot in the distance. He judged himself to be a little over a mile away. They'd surely be out of sight of the high-powered binoculars the guards used (luckily there was a bend in the road up shortly). But how far out could they have parked? Would they be off the main road? In the woods? _"We'll be looking for you." _They'd find him, he had fate in that.

* * *

"Can we light a fire?" Lillie whined.

"No… smoke might alert Sanctum security." Lara replied stiffly, eyeing the matches angrily. She held her sister's desire but not her impulse – they'd come too far to be discovered now.

"Then can we at least turn on the car?"

"We need to conserve fuel. We'll just have enough to get back as it is."

"…Cuddle with me." Lillie scooted across the cracked leather bench seat and blinked at her expectantly when her sister didn't immediately uncross her arms.

"You're kidding." Lara stared at her with exasperation.

"Absolutely not." She held her arms open and waved her hands. "Gimme a hug."

"I'd rather freeze to death."

"Totally not what you said last night."

"Okay… no. Different situation. It was snowing and it was like 20 degrees colder… and _someone_ forgot _her_ sleeping bag and had to share mine."

Lille was already shaking her head, her blonde tresses flying erratically around her face. "Same situation. You're cold. I'm cold. We're cold. Solution: cuddle."

The younger sister groaned and rolled her eyes – she hated when Lillie had a valid point. She unfolded her arms and, despite her bad mood, found herself smiling as the other woman cheered. Lillie crawled into her lap and wrapped her arm around Lara's neck before dragging the sleeping bag over both of them. The relief was almost immediate – both could feel heat radiating from the other, warming their chilled bones. "How long do you think it's going to take for him to find us?" She asked, wiping down the fogged up windshield to get a better view of the main road. They had parked behind a patch of young evergreens – Lara had made the effort to cut out a "window" in the branches so only a small portion of their grey Bronco was visible, and only if one was paying close attention as they walked past.

"I doubt he'll find us at all. That's why we sat the alarm before dawn so we could keep lookout." She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands to force away sleep – she was by no means a morning person, preferring to stay up into the wee hours of the morning before passing out until mid-afternoon. The pair settled into a comfortable silence; Lara kept her gaze trained on the road while Lillie slipped in and out of a light sleep, twitching every so often.

Before long the sun was peeking through the boughs, trying its best to cut through the cloud cover and melt last night's snow. She wasn't sure how much time had passed – maybe an hour – before a figure passed the road before them. Lara's heart jumped. Was that him? She had only a vague description of the boy, but he seemed to fit it. "Get up." Lara grunted, dragging the lethargic girl off of her. "Up!" She shoved her to the other side of the truck and threw open the driver's side door. By this point he was a dozen yards ahead of her and completely oblivious to her presence.

Lillie stumbled after her younger sister, nearly plowing into her as she scrambled through the brush. "S'at him?" She yawned.

"Maybe." Lara studied his retreating form.

"If it's not do you want me to kill him?" She stretched arms above her head to work out the stiff muscles.

"Maybe." She shoved her hands in her pockets and began making her way slowly up the street. "Van Cleef?"

The younger boy nearly jumped out of his skin, spinning rapidly on one foot as he turned to face them. "Y-yeah? Are you…? Well… I don't know. Are you her, though?"

"Lara Childers." She ignored his extended hand and surveyed their so-called reliable contact. Scrawny frame, beady eyes, everything about him screamed "traitor." No wonder he was able to turn on his friends so easily. "You made good time."

"I almost didn't." He chuckled nervously. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"So am I killing him or no?" Lille called from behind them.

"Not yet!" Lara yelled over her shoulder. His dark eyes widened and he took a step back. "Calm down, kid. I won't let her hurt you. But we do need to have a chat. Our truck's this way." She rolled her grey eyes when he glanced towards the tree-line and back to her. "Seriously… she's harmless until you piss her off. Let's not get her to that point, shall we?"

* * *

Hours passed in that old Bronco. Lara interrogated Sinjin about every possible aspect of Sanctum – security measures, guard weapons, general attitude of the town. She demanded to know _why_ exactly he had fallen off the grid for those few days and found herself infuriated at his carelessness. For them to have come so far only to trip at the finish line because of him? Unacceptable. She was only mildly placated when he assured her that he had managed to divert attention away from the situation, even if he had managed to strike a wedge between cyborg and companion.

"_If, at any moment, Jade recalls seeing those notecards you may have compromised our entire mission." She glared at the boy on the other side of the cab, glancing down briefly when Lillie a hand on her knee to calm her. _

"_Honestly, it's the last thing on her mind. I promise. She's too busy focusing on Tori and the doctor."_

She was pleased to hear about Sikowitz – the man was a genius in his field and she hoped she could convince him to join their ranks and return with them. If not there were surely ways he could be persuaded…Lillie, despite her quirks, was _very_ persuasive… but she hoped it wouldn't have to come to that.

By the time they finished talking the sun was high overhead – noon, or nearly there. Sinjin had clear orders – they had devised a plan (and backup plan) to get Tori and Sikowitz out of the city without any extra company. Lillie would incapacitate them if necessary, then it'd be a speedy trip back home before Norris or anyone else could piece together what happened. A simple plan, not exactly one worthy of a _Mission Impossible_ movie, but one that was decidedly fool-proof.

Lara and Lillie leaned against the side of their truck as they watched Sinjin begin his slow, reluctant journey back to the city gates. He glanced over his shoulder often as to convince himself that they were real, that the meeting he had looked forward to for so long had just happened. "He's kind of…" Lillie began.

"Irritating beyond all reason?" Her sister finished.

"Exactly. Do you think he'll be able to get the cyborg out here?"

"He better. If what he told us is true we didn't come prepared to storm the castle walls."

"Well, if nothing else he's dedicated. I don't think he suspected you were being anything but honest." Lara grunted in response, finally tearing her eyes away from the horizon as he disappeared into it. She walked to the bed of the truck and dropped the gate, dragging a heavy chain free and hanging it over a low branch for easy access – she didn't trust everything she read in books and wasn't convinced they had been entirely honest about Tori's physical prowess. While they _had_ brought rope, she felt more comfortable using chain. Moreover, she had managed to locate her taser and it was fully charged and ready to go in case things got out of hand. She wasn't sure what it would do to her cyborg components, but she was willing to bet it wouldn't be irreparable damage.

There was a sudden crackling at her hip and Lara glanced down with a scowl, snatching the walkie-talkie off her belt. "Are you guys still in range?"

"_Yes_, Sinjin." She hissed. "The range is five miles. Now turn it back off and pocket it. Don't waste the charge!" She almost regretted giving the boy a means to contact her whenever he wished but knew it was an unavoidable circumstance. They needed to know when he was bringing out their targets. Lara just hoped he wouldn't inadvertently reveal himself by possessing it.

With preparations for Vega and Sikowitz complete, Lara returned to the cab of the truck and dragged out a bag of MREs, tossing one to her older sister, who was currently sitting cross-legged on an old stump as she sharpened her hunting knife. It bounced off her arm and landed in the snow, earning Lara a scowl and a whine before Lillie returned the knife to her boot holster and retrieved the bag. "These are so gross." She muttered, ripping open the seal.

"At least it's warm." Lara counted, sniffing the contents before pulling a face and holding it away from her nose.

"So is horse shit but you don't see me chowing down on that."

She had a point, though Lara wouldn't ever admit it. "You can stomach one or two of these… If you stop complaining I'll make it up to you."

Lillie's eyes lit up. "How?"

"… Oh, I don't know. Maybe I'll let you kill Sinjin." The older woman punched the air and hooted and Lara, for a moment, wondered if her sister actually would.

But then again, she wondered if she herself would even have a problem with it.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Sorry about the wait, guys. Three weeks is a record for me, I know. But I live! I've been so busy. I hope, I _hope,_ there won't be another gap like this. But know I'm not giving up. I'm even working on another side Jori project. It should go up tonight - be sure to check for it. But it won't take precedence over this one. **

**I missed you guys ;3;**

* * *

"Stop it." Jade mumbled, squeezing her arms tighter around the stirring Latina.

"Stop what?" Tori replied. She squeezed Jade's arm lovingly before trying to pry it away from her.

"Trying to get up." She yawned, nuzzling her nose against the back of her tan neck, kissing the spot lightly. "Stay here."

"Jade." The other girl whined. "It's nearly 11. I promised Norris I'd help him today... I need to go ahead and do that if you expect me to have time sit down with you and Sikowitz again and discuss your hand." She tapped the injured appendage lightly in reminder, noting how Jade's vice-grip loosened.

"Put Norris off today." She mumbled as she allowed her lover to slip free. Tori, clad only in her t-shirt, hovered over the prone girl and rolled her eyes.

"I promised." She pecked Jade on her full lips and smiled. "You can always get up and come with if you like."

Jade made some inhuman noise in response and rolled onto her side. "No. Sleep."

Tori chuckled softly and rolled off the bed before catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. _Rough. _She cringed, running her fingers through her wild mane. Jade had turned it into one big knot – she liked to tangle her fingers and tug way too much. A shower was definitely in order to make herself even remotely presentable.

Jade dozed off again shortly after she heard the shower squeak on, the sound of the spray lulling her to sleep. By the time she awoke again Tori was long gone, the clock on her nightstand reading 12:30. She groaned, sounding much like a bear awakening from a long hibernation, and hauled herself into a sitting position, grappling for her shirt and pair of shorts. She needed coffee before she could fathom anything else today.

Andre was in the kitchen when she stumbled in, flipping pancakes on the stove. He glanced at her as she walked through the door and wagged his eyebrows at her. "Good afternoon, beautiful." She blinked at him before walking past, making a bee-line for the coffee. She was surprised to find it still hot, and looked back at her friend curiously. "Tori left about an hour ago… I knew you'd be up sooner or later."

"Thanks." She grunted, pouring herself a mug and claiming a seat at the table. Moments later a plate of food was shoved under her nose. "Why are you being so nice?" Jade demanded, her curiosity now evolved fully into suspicion.

"I just figure you could use the energy… seeing how you were so busy this morning."

Jade huffed and rested her chin in her hand; she wasn't as easily embarrassed as her girlfriend. "I'm sure you like what you heard, don't even try to convince me otherwise." She sipped her coffee nonchalantly.

"That's besides the matter." Andre countered. "Couldn't you pick a decent hour? I don't know what goes on up there, but I hear a lot of praising Jesus and a lot of Spanish."

"I make no apologies." She shrugged, taking a small bite of pancake. "Can't fight the mood when it strikes you."

"Spoken like a true poet." His eyes wandered down her pale throat. "You've got a bit of a love bite there, Cyrano."

"And I'll wear it with pride." Jade pulled back her raven hair and ran her fingers over the raised skin.

"I'd expect no less from you at this point." He watched as she picked at her meal for a moment. "Now… Feel like sharing details? Do you actually know what she's saying when she goes all sexy-Latina on you?" Jade smiled at him, her blue eyes flashing mischievously. Without a word she picked up her plate and mug and sauntered out the door. "Oh, that's cold!"

* * *

Sinjin waited anxiously for Tori in the diner across from Norris' home. His garage door was open, and he could see the pair working diligently over a new camera system he planned on installing at the city gates. Primitive technology, in Sinjin's opinion. He checked his watch impatiently; he had wanted to deliver Tori to the sisters first, she being the prime objective. It looked as if he was going to have to change his plans though – there was no way he could lure Tori away from Norris without gaining unwanted attention that could easily be relayed back to those who could track him down before he had a chance to disappear.

He wrung his hands anxiously before clenching them at his side, forcing himself to walk away and seek out the older scientist. Despite the fresh snow, people were flitting about the streets – in and out of shops and stores that dotted mainstreet. It worried him; though he wasn't popular in the community like Tori or Jade, he was recognizable – known to live with the two girls. What he wouldn't give now for another stormy day like they'd been having lately, one that would drive the citizens of Sanctum indoors.

He kept his head bowed as he made his way to find Sikowitz, thankful he remembered to grab his hat before he dashed out this morning; it helped disguise his wild hair and, consequently, helped him blend in to the crowd. He guessed that finding the older man would be easy enough – when he wasn't at Crenshaw's he was at the diner around the corner, having located a facility that made excellent coconut-cream pie. Sure enough he was there, sipping coffee at the counter and stabbing at a half-eaten piece of pie. He jumped when Sinjin hopped into the seat beside him. "Oh, boy! Don't surprise me like that." He clutched the front of his shirt and exhaled. "… Aren't you that one Jade's after? Are you sure it's wise to be in public?"

Sinjin laughed nervously. "Oh… you know. I'm sure everything will be fine. She'll calm down eventually, right?" The scientist stared at him, not breaking his gaze as he brought his mug to his lips. "Right?"

"Have you ever considered life on the run?" Sikowitz suggested, returning his attention back to his dessert. "I hear Jamaica is lovely this time of year."

"Well… I'm planning on moving, that's for sure." He smiled grimly. He drummed his fingers on the countertop as he glanced around the diner. "I've been meaning to ask you, which route did you take into Sanctum?"

"I didn't realize there was more than one." Sikowitz commented.

"Oh, the other's not incredibly well known." Sinjin nodded. "It's more of a walking path. It runs through a few towns that had cyberkinetic facilities." He watched the older man's brows twitch with intrigue. _Baited, _he thought to himself triumphantly. "I've been wanting to investigate. Norris tells me they've been raided clean… but who knows, right? And I really don't know if I'd recognize anything if I found it. I know you have a lot of experience in the field… I was hoping I could convince you to come with me?"

Sikowitz smiled, not entirely persuaded. "I'd probably have to agree with Norris. Anything worth taking in there will have already been looted."

"Who knows though, right? And even if it's not much, maybe it'd be something. I know Jade's looking for options for her surgery. Maybe we could find materials there. There's not really a lot in this town to work with otherwise… I just thought it might be helpful." He watched as Sikowitz demeanor changed almost instantly. _Hooked_. He knew Jade would be a motivating factor.

"I suppose we could take a gander… how far is it?"

"Not far at all! Maybe an hour's walk. We could head out now and get back before sunset." He could hardly contain his excitement as he watched the scientist weigh his options. This was it – his one chance. If he didn't take this bait any other attempts would be too suspicious to take.

"I guess the exercise can't hurt these old bones. All right. Lead on, odd-child." He slapped a bill down on the counter before shrugging on his heavy coat and sliding off his stool. He frowned as he watched the wiry boy practically skip out the door, sighing when he realized he'd just committed to spending quality time with the little weirdo.

* * *

Lara was dismantling her gun for the second time that day to clean it – time was passing slowly among the woods. "Thoreau didn't know what he was talking about." She muttered to herself, averting her eyes to the canopy above her as she systematically disassembled her old .45 – her father's pistol. Lillie was behind her, reclining on the hood of the Bronco in a patch of sun that was shining through a gap in the thick pine.

"I don't know. It's peaceful out here… no nagging neighbors, no work."

"Also no cable, no refrigerator, no plumbing."

"… Yeah, nevermind. Thoreau was a nutjob. When's spaz going to show up?"

Lara sighed and glanced down at her weapon, rolling the firing pin between thumb and forefinger. "I don't know. Hopefully before dark. I'd rather not tangle with the cyborg – "

The radio next to Lillie's head cut through their quiet conversation, startling the older girl to the point that she nearly impaled it with her hunting knife. "So we're just now leaving the city gates… should only be about an hour now." His voice was painfully and awkwardly forced, making both sisters cringe.

"I know, boy. You've told me a dozen times now. Good God, you're strange."

Lara frowned. "The scientist?" She deflated . After years of hunting she had hoped to capture Tori first, to study her, interrogate her, while they waited for Sinjin to return with Sikowitz.

"Seems so. And they're not too far out from what it sounds like. Are we ready for him?" She slid off the hood of the car and popped the hood before disappearing around the other side.

Lara returned her gun to the holster at her side and snapped in her sister's direction, motioning for the blonde to conceal herself. The younger sister, in turn, trotted towards the road in the direction of Sanctum, adopting a heavy limp on e she hit the cracked pavement. It wasn't long before Sinjin and Sikowitz rounded the corner and came into view.

_This is the famous scientist? The man that almost rivaled Patrick West's genius?_ She couldn't believe it, and her utter surprise almost blew her cover. "Excuse me!" She waved, forcing a pained expression as they neared. "Excuse me... Sorry. Do you two live in Sanctum?" Her gaze settled pitifully on Sikowitz as she limped towards them. "Could I bother you for some help? My sister and I are trying to get there... She has pneumonia and our truck broke down just around the corner. Stupid me twisted my ankle in a rabbit hole on my walk towards town."

"Your sister is traveling in this weather?" Sikowitz knitted his brow in concern. "Is she okay to be left alone?"

"Probably not." Lara grimaced. "But we don't have supplies to keep us another night and I was hoping I could make it to town for help before the weather started up again."

"Where's your truck? I'm fairly good with engines. Perhaps I could be of assistance." He offered, extending an arm that she could use as support while leading them back. "If I can get it running we'll drive you to the gates... Your ankle seems to be in fairly bad shape."

"Oh, thank you! You have no idea how happy I am that you two came along!" She avoided Sinjin's nervous gaze and smiled, accepting the older man's proffered support. With her arm wrapped securely around him she was able to judge his strength – despite his sturdy appearance she found him to be rather off-balance. He buckled momentarily under her weight before readjusting to support her. She smiled absently to herself; at least he'd be an easy target.

They shuffled through the snow to the Bronco and Lara allowed him to lower her onto a nearby stump. She glanced at Sinjin and raised her hand, silently ordering him to stay where he was. Sikowitz made his way over to the exposed engine and tapped it experimentally to check the heat. "It's stone cold… how long did you say you'd been out here?" He asked suspiciously.

"Long enough." Lillie's appearance was preceded by the sound of her gun cocking. She trained her pistol steadily on his torso as she revealed herself. Her eyes were hard, her mouth pressed into a thin line; she was in work mode for sure, her body fully alert and prepared to react if necessary.

Sikowitz gripped the edge of the grill, swallowing hard but refusing to panic. "If you're looking for money we have none."

"Not money, Erwin… you." Lara explained, rising to her feet and walking easily to her sister's side. His face paled as dread washed over him, and he slowly backed away from the front of the truck. "I wouldn't move… She's trigger-happy. You don't have to panic. We just want you to come with us."

Sikowitz crossed his arms protectively across his chest. "Mother told me never to ride in cars with strangers." He retorted calmly; Lara realized he was stalling, quickly processing all the possible methods for escape. His eyes darted around and never settled for long on the women before him.

"We've got a long ride ahead of us… There will be plenty of time for us to answer any question you can throw our way." She smiled. "If you cooperate we'll let you ride in the cab."

"And the boy?"

Lara swore the younger boy was quaking in his boots. She rolled her eyes in his direction and sighed. "He's not coming just yet. He's got other business to attend to. Right, Sinjin?"

Sikowitz whipped his head in Sinjin's direction, eyes blazing. "You set this up?" He hissed angrily, daring to turn his back to the sisters to address him fully. "What have you gotten us into now? Fraternizing with outsiders? After everything your friends went through to save you and you – " He never finished his rebuke, as Lillie had cracked him sharply across the temple with the butt of her pistol. He crumpled to the snow in a heap, a bruise already spreading across his pale skin.

"Jesus, Lillie. We don't need to give him brain-damage." Lara chastised, kneeling to check his pulse.

"He'll be fine." The older sister dismissed, re-holstering her weapon and removing a pair of handcuffs from her belt. Lara caught them when she tossed them down and quickly restrained the scientist, and the sisters hauled him to the back of the truck and rolled him in unceremoniously.

"Where's Victoria?" Lara sighed, redirecting her frustration towards the younger boy.

"She's with Norris right now… I didn't want to risk drawing his attention." He explained. He walked towards the back of the truck and studied the prone body. "Are you sure he's going to be okay?"

"Focus." Lara snapped her fingers in his face to catch his attention. "The clock is ticking now. You need to get her out here, the faster the better. Do you understand?" Sinjin nodded, eyes as wide as saucers. "Well get going!"

He jumped but did as he was told, sprinting back towards the road in the direction of town. Lara sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as the sound of his retreating footsteps faded. A moment later her sister wrapped a reassuring arm around her shoulder. "Well… At least he's proven he's at least somewhat capable. We're halfway there." Silence settled between them before another softer sound interrupted it. Lillie was humming. Lara's grey eyes flickered open as recognition set in.

"Livin' on a Prayer. Really?" She shrugged off the taller girl with a huff and walked back towards the tree-line.

"Take my hand, we'll make it I swear!"

"I hate you." Lara groaned as the serenade continued behind her.

* * *

Jade stepped into the bright sunshine and, in longer than she could remember, didnt immediately scowl and avert her eyes. Sex had always caused a lingering euphoria, one that made her more pleasant and all around more tolerable. Sex with Tori was even better - it's why she was almost always in the mood, ready to ravish the girl whenever the urge struck her. When they were getting along (which occurred more often than not, surprisingly enough) the urge struck her frequently... When they weren't it struck her just as often, she just had no way to satisfy her hunger.

For the past few days Jade had been -starving-, and her mood had suffered as a result. Today, however, the world seemed more enjoyable, its citizens less irritating. Jade felt as if even the pain in her hand more bearable. All in all, it seemed like a good day.

Jade tucked her pale hands in her pocket and made her way towards the diner, intent on tracking down Sikowitz. They had made plans to meet there around an hour ago, and Jade hoped he'd still be there, sipping his fourth cup of coffee and downing his second piece of pie since lunch.

To her surprise he wasn't there when she arrived; another local had claimed his seat at the counter. She frowned and sauntered up the the counter, tapping her fingers as she watched the waitress finish taking an order. "Jade!" The older woman greeted, instinctively reaching for a mug and the pot of fresh coffee. "Your usual?"

"Not now, Helen." She shook her head, dark hair tumbling into her face. "Have you seen Slocum today? I was supposed to meet him here."

"Oh yeah, he was here... Left about an hour ago with that strange boy you live with."

_Sinjin._ A bubble of rage swelled in her chest, threatening to burst and send her on another rampage. She had forgotten about him after this morning's activities; his existence hadn't even left a niggling in the back of her mind.

"You sure I can't get you something to eat, honey?"

Jade glanced at her and spun on her heel, sulking out of the establishment without another word. Where had that little weasel gotten off to with her doctor? Her first stop was Crenshaw's office; he informed her that Sikowitz hadn't returned since he had left for their meeting. Her next stop was Norris' - maybe he had gone to offer his engineering services to whatever project they were working on today... Or maybe he was drooling over her blue-prints like a small child in a confectionary. Jade guessed the latter.

The pale girl halted suddenly as the mayor's home came into view, ducking quickly behind a telephone pole. From a distance she watched as Sinjin conversed with Tori, eyes narrowing dangerously as be placed a hand on her shoulder. Rule #1 was to never, -ever,- touch the cyborg upon penalty of slow, agonizing death. Her upper lip curled as she watched it retract after a moment - Tori's flawless skin had been blemished by his presence. That was -her- shoulder, and now She was going to have to reclaim it with affection, kiss away the stain.

Yes, she was being dramatic.

She just really hated this kid.

Before she could close the distance between them the pair took off in a slow jog towards the city gates. He held the heavy door open for her and she disappeared behind it. Even from this distance she could tell Sinjin was paler than usual; He was anxious about something. It didnt escape her, however, that even though the lines on his face indicated a nervous reaction, a small smile claimed his face.

"Where the hell are you going with my girlfriend?" Jade mused to herself, abandoning her hiding spot and following a safe distance behind. She'd tail them until she could either figure out where they were going or she determined that he couldn't run away; he had already proven that he was a speedy little bastard, and she knew she wouldn't be able to keep up with him if he ran again. Hell, she couldn't keep up with a half spent cyborg. -maybe I should quit smoking- she considered briefly, only to scoff at the ludicrous thought.

As Jade approached became torn - to follow them now would surely alert Sinjin to her position. She could easily wait here for their return, grab him as soon as his beak-like nose came into view... But that meant she'd have to leave Tori with the little creep. Even considering the option left her feeling uneasy; something wasn't right with the situation, and she needed to keep a close eye on it. Newly resolved, the pale girl pushed open the gate, surprised to find that, despite its immense weight, it swung rather easily and (more importantly) silently.

The pair was already out of sight but Jade was able to track their path in the snow. She knitted her brow as she crouched and studied the ground - there were a few set of feet print marring the otherwise pristine snow. She counted three other pairs - 2 going, 1 returning... She frowned and rose back to her full height, eyes scanning the road. -what the hell is going on?- people didnt leave the city that often, they had no reason to. There was nothing out here for miles but wilderness - bears, wolves, moose... One particularly crotchety badger. Why would Sinjin of all people wander out here?

There was only one way to find out. The scientist started into a jog, cursing the fact that this was the second time in as many days that she'd taken up the arduous task of running. Within moments she was huffing, her breath escaping in ragged clouds. She rounded the corner in just enough time to see Tori's red hood disappear into the tree-line. Jade slowed her pace and followed suit, ducking off the path and continuing in what she assumed was still their general direction. That's when she heard it.

Tori screamed.

With renewed energy Jade plowed through the low-hanging branches, pine-needles slapping her in the face. She stumbled upon the makeshift camp seconds later to find Tori struggling against two unrecognized women. A heavy chain was looped around the cyborg's waist and up across her shoulder, a brunette held tightly to it as a blonde attempted to approach the fight with a taser. Despite Tori's superior strength she wasn't able to free her pinned arm.

Jade stood, dumbfounded, as she watched the scene unfold, the seconds dragging on like ages. A flash of movement behind the scuffle caught her attention, and her gaze settled on Sinjin at the back of the truck as he pointed a shaking gun at a bound Sikowitz as he struggled to free himself from his bonds. Her lips curled into a snarl... So he _was_ up no good.

"Jade!" Tori had spotted her.

The scene stilled and all eyes settled on her; Jade desperately wished she had a gun… or any kind of weapon, for that matter. Standing before them now she felt crippled and defenseless. "Jade." Lara echoed. A smile spread across her face and she shot a cursory glance to her sister. "Didn't expect you to show up. How's the hand, sweetheart?"

"Let her go." Jade stepped forward, pain shooting up her arm as she unconsciously balled her hands into fists.

"I'd stop right there. We don't want someone to get hurt." Her pale eyes flickered to the taller blonde and Sinjin; both had weapons trained on her friends.

"What is this? What do you want?" She feared they might be Sweepers, or otherwise sent by enemies she had hoped to leave far behind in California. Something didn't seem right though; they didn't seem professional enough. They appeared rogue, mercenary. That, to Jade, was even more worrisome. She knew how to handle Sweepers, knew their protocols and restrictions. These women… She had no clue.

"We just need Victoria for a little collaboration project. Calm your tits, sister." The blonde chimed. Jade's frowned deepened – it troubled her deeply that one of them appeared to be an idiot.

After all, you _never_ gave a gun to an idiot. Her eyes flickered to Sinjin as if he confirmed her theory.

"Sorry, _sister_," She sneered. "She's not going anywhere with you." She watched as her grip on the taser tightened.

"I don't think you have much room to argue. We do need Victoria… but Sikowitz over here, he's more of a perk. Expendable, if you will." The brunette countered, retrieving her own gun from her holster and letting it hang at her side. "If you cause me too much grief I won't hesitate to put a bullet through his head. Or yours, for that matter. I don't need you at all."

"Need me for what?" Tori demanded.

"It's a long ride, kiddo, we can talk on the way home."

"She's not going." Jade repeated through clenched teeth. She took another step forward, having spied a heavy branch mere feet away.

A muffled gunshot shattered the silence, the smell of charcoal and sulfur assaulted her nose. Tori screamed. The limb Jade had been inching towards was nothing more than splinters. The sudden noise surprised Sinjin and the gun fumbled in his hands before falling harmlessly to the ground.

And then all hell broke loose.

Sinjin dove forward, driving his shoulder into the boy's chest and propelling him backwards. With his bound hands he dug through the deep snow, searching for the weapon. He found it and hauled himself to his feet only to have it knocked clear from his grip by the blonde's roundhouse kick.

Jade took advantage of the brunette's distraction and lunged forward, wrestling for her own gun. She drove them both to the cold ground and Tori, now free to wrest herself from her bonds, struggled to do so quickly to come to Jade's assistance. The brunette's ringed fist connected with the side of Jade's temple and filled her vision with stars, temporarily disorienting her. Hands wrapped around her throat and her world turned upside down as she was rolled over and pinned to the ground. The pale girl coughed and clawed at the vice-like grip with her good hand and reached to her side to grab a handful of snow.

She hurled the snow and dirt mixture in the woman's face, blinding her. She screamed at the sudden assault and released her grasp on Jade's throat, only to smash her again in the face. She felt warm blood spill down her face and stain the pristine blanket on either side of her. Her head throbbed, she felt blood pounding in her ears.

And suddenly the weight vanished. Through blurred vision she watched as Tori dragged her away by her hair, her titanium arm impervious to the brunette's assaults. Jade scrambled awkwardly to her feet and forced away the dizziness and turned her attention to Sikowitz; Tori could handle herself easily now that the gun had been removed from the equation. She forwent searching for the gun, instead grabbing another fallen branch and charging into the fray.

She bashed Sinjin upside the head for good measure, smirking in satisfaction as he crumpled to a heap. She hoisted the limb above her head again to strike the blonde only to have her grab it on the downswing and have it deflected. Her momentum carried her forward into Sikowitz and they both tumbled to the ground in a tangle of limbs, he cracking his head on an exposed root and knocking himself out cold. Jade planted her hands to push herself to her feet only to find a heavy boot stomp down, its heel grinding into her wounded limb. She screamed and collapsed, pawing futilely at the leather and trying to drag her hand free. The pain was unbearable; she couldn't breathe, couldn't see, couldn't think about anything but the agony.

"Jade!" Tori's voice sounded in the distance, over the blood roaring in her ears. "Jade!" Nearer now… or was it further? She couldn't tell. The pain was making her nauseas and groggy.

Jade's screamed snatched Tori violently from her blind rage. Up until that point she was tossing the brunette around like she was a sack of potatoes, never fully landing a blow and only trying to incapacitate her. Her scream, her wail of anguish, shook her to her very core. The cyborg hurled the smaller girl into a patch of prickly holly bushes and charged towards the blonde. She grabbed her by the back of her neck and threw her to the side, away from her injured girlfriend. Before the woman could right herself she landed a few solid kicks, satisfied to feel them crack from the force behind her blows.

Tori could hear Jade still wheezing behind her, every gasp marked by a pathetic whimper. She had managed to catch a brief glimpse of the scientist's hand – it wasn't pretty. The skin was torn and bloodied; surely damaged even worse than before. All the misery they'd gone through, all the effort Jade and the doctors had made to repair it… ruined.

So she continued to kick, wanting this bitch to feel something close to the pain they'd been dealing with for months now. Any attempt she made to deflect the blow was futile – Tori's strength was far superior.

And suddenly there was pain. A strong, paralyzing force gripped her limbs. She could smell her skin burning, could feel the electricity coursing through her body. The taser. Tori dropped to all fours as the pain continued; she managed to raise her head just in time to watch the heel of a boot connect with her face.

Lara spit blood from her mouth and wiped her brow, glaring angrily at the unconscious cyborg. That had _not_ gone as planned. Lillie released a pained moan into the snow, rolling onto her back as to clutch her ribs. "Broken?" The older woman coughed and nodded, reaching for a hand-up.

Lara carefully hoisted her sister upright and led her quickly to the tailgate, easing her down gently before returning to a still struggling Jade. The raven-haired girl had made it to her feet, her hand clutched protectively against her chest as she staggered towards Tori.

With a frustrated grunt Lara bent down and retrieved the discarded pistol. Even with her limp she managed to overtake Jade, shoving the younger girl up against a snow-covered pine. She held the gun against her forehead and released the safety. "I should kill you." She snarled, finger flexing on the trigger. Grey eyes met blue, each mirroring the other's blind rage.

"Maybe you should get blondie to a doctor instead." Jade wheezed in response, her gaze never wavering despite the weapon pressing against her skull. "My girl did a number on the bitch." Lara released another angry growl and reared back, cracking the pale girl upside the temple and knocking her out cold. She landed in a heavy heap on the ground and, for a moment, Lara considered releasing a round in her head.

"Lara." Lillie whimpered. She whipped her head in her older sister's direction to find her pointing to the unconscious cyborg. "Worry about her. We don't know how long she'll be out."

Lara sighed and, after a moment, reholstered her weapon. Lillie had a point. "And what do we do with them?"

"Sinjin could still be useful… but I don't give a fuck about either scientist at this point anymore."

"You have my permission to fire a few rounds into their brilliant skulls." Lara scowled, eyes narrowing angrily.

"Not worth the bullets… there's a river a ways down the road, though. Let's send them downstream."

Despite her pain, the younger woman smiled. "Downstream it is." She nodded. She limped back to her sister's side and took her hand carefully in her own, mindful of potential injuries, and rested their foreheads together. "Well… we did it. After all these years."

"Yep… and she kicked your ass." Lillie chuckled, clutching her ribs as she did so.

"She kicked _your_ ass."

"Whatever. You totally got beat upside the head with the ugly-stick, courtesy of Victoria Vega."

"Keep it up and I'll dump you in the river too."

"You'll be too tired… I mean, you're already going to have to lug the four bodies into the back of the truck by yourself."

Lara rolled her eyes and aided Lillie to the cab, ensuring she was comfortable before she went about the task of securing the prisoners. The last thing they needed now was Tori coming to; they didn't have another fight in them, not for a long time. Despite her pain, despite her rage, she couldn't help but smile. Everything was starting to fall into place.

* * *

**AN: oops... let's hope there's not another huge gap. Because that's a bit of a cliffhanger. :3**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay so I mentioned something about another project that I was working on... I'm still working on it, but I'm stuck deciding on whether or not I actually want to post it and then commit myself to updating two projects at once while trying to graduate as well. So I'm writing chapters... you guys just may not get it until this installment of Horsemen is done/I graduate... whichever comes first. If you're curious, email me. I might tell you all about it if you can give me a convincing reason to :P **

**But either way - on with the story! Read and Review! Please sirs? Ma'ams?  
**

**Also, in other news, I HATE the stupid "Insert Horizontal Line" tool on FFnet It doesn't work half the time and I hate it and it's dumb. I don't trust it to insert the lines when I need to so I'm trying out a few different ways to imply POV changes/ scene changes. Bear with me. **

* * *

Lara panted and leaned against the side of the truck, chest heaving from exertion and a thin film of sweat coating her brow. Lillie's door swung open and the injured woman half slid/half spilled out and limped to her sister's side. The pair watched as the two bodies of Jade and Sikowitz bobbed down the icy river before disappearing under the dark surface. It wasn't a fast current, but one that would surely take them so far no one from Sanctum would find them; wolves and bears would feed on their carcasses. Thus ends the West line, long live. A moment of silence was shared between them once she vanished, both silently thanking her and her family for their contribution to the world, their gift to their campaign.

"Let's get on the road before Sleeping Beauty wakes up." Lillie muttered, slapping the side of the Bronco. Lara nodded, never tearing her blank gaze from the bend in the river. They had surely earned a well-deserved rest once they got home. She would make sure Lillie would have plenty of time to heal before they moved on with business. She just dreaded the path (literally and figuratively) before them – her older sister was going to do nothing but complain at every bump and pothole that jostled her.

"All right." She breathed, pushing herself off the side of the truck and making her way to the driver's seat. As she passed by a window she paused, peering through the dirt-covered glass. Tori was heavily bound – wrists handcuffed behind her back, a logging chain around her torso and legs. She looked like a caterpillar in an iron cocoon… surely that'd foil any attempt of escape. She was secured near the tailgate, as far away as possible from a still-unconscious Sinjin. Hopefully, over time, Tori could be convinced to work with them… but after the fight today she seriously doubted it. Lara, however, was already beginning to formulate contingency plans. They'd win her over one way or another.

* * *

{...}

Jade was immediately aware of a pounding in her head. Like a distant lighthouse beacon it came at consistent intervals, matching tempo, she realized, with her heart. Her body felt tight, sore. She could feel the bruises. _Did I fall down the stairs again?_ She mused groggily, recalling the incident a few months ago when the first heavy frost had set in; the bruise on her backside had lasted for weeks.

The next thing she became aware of was distant whispers. "What are we going to tell her when she wakes up?" Beck.

"If she wakes up."

"Shut up, Robbie!" Cat's shrill rebuke only worsened the throbbing in her skull.

"Stop it." Sikowitz voice was stern, somber. "We'll tell her the truth. She'll see right through anything else." Truth about what? "We'll just have to keep her calm until Norris can provide more information. He knows who took Tori… we just have to figure out how to find them."

Tori. _Tori. _Her eyes snapped open, pupils constricting painfully even in the low light. "Tori." She rasped, pushing herself upright and immediately regretting the motion. Her memories were a jumbled mess - Sinjin. The ambush. Tori. "Where is she?" She demanded, screwing her head in their direction. It occurred to her that she was in her and Tori's bed, her roommates and Sikowitz all lingered by the patio door to discuss matters quietly in hopes of not disturbing the sleeping scientist.

"Jadelyn." Sikowitz held his hands out, palms down, to encourage her to remain calm. "Stay down. We don't know the extent of your injuries yet. We don't need you hurting yourself even more." She glared daggers at him and threw her covers off defiantly. He looked horrible – both eyes were bruised a deep purple, his lip split in two or three places. A nasty lump swelled angrily on his temple. He looked like he'd gone a few unsuccessful rounds with a prize fighter. "Jade." He repeated sternly, limping in her direction.

"Where is she? What happened?" She demanded again. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and planted them unsteadily, noting for the first time the rainbow of bruises and lacerations on her pale skin. One particularly long laceration – now stitched up – zigzagged up her thigh and disappeared under her shorts. Beck appeared at her side and eased himself down onto the mattress, wrapping a firm but gentle arm around her shoulders. She tried to push him off but he added his other arm, locking them tightly around her.

He wasn't restraining her, she realized. He was _hugging _her.

Andre and Cat soon followed his lead and Jade, the girl who loathed human contact, found herself the meat of an affection-sandwich. "Cut this shit out." She snapped, pushing her friends away. It was then she finally noticed her hand was bound up in a soft-cast so thick her fingers weren't even visible anymore. She stared at it, combing desperately through her memories to determine the cause. Her gaze flickered angrily to Sikowitz. "If someone doesn't start talking now I'm going to start cracking heads."

"The sisters dumped us in the river." The older man explained, crossing his arms protectively over his chest. "For whatever reason, probably shock, I woke up almost immediately. I managed to grab you when you surfaced."

"He carried you two miles back to town... You were both hypothermic. We didn't know if you'd even wake up." Andre finished.

Jade stared at her lap, piecing together her final conscious moments. Tori screaming. Blondie demolishing her hand. Flashes of turbulence and a cold so intense she didn't think she would ever feel warmth again. "Where's Sinjin?" Her voice was quiet and didn't betray the white-hot rage that was beginning to boil under her skin. Mentally, however, she was flaying him alive.

"That's the million-dollar question."

"And Tori?" No one met her gaze. "Where's Tori?"

"Norris and a team went out looking for her… she's nowhere to be found. We can only presume they took her. Sinjin too." Sikowitz muttered.

The rage gave way to nausea and panic. "Who's they? Who were those women? Sweepers? They knew about Tori… knew about me." She glanced at her hand and attempted to flex her fingers – futilely, of course, but the action still pained her.

"Norris will have to answer those questions." The man sighed, earning himself a dangerous stare. "I don't know, Jade! He does. You could tell by his reaction when I described them, though he isn't speaking just yet."

"Take me to him."

"Jade, it's like 3 AM." Cat interjected, squeaking in terror when Jade whipped her head in the small girl's direction and glared.

"Take me to him." She repeated. "He's going to tell me everything." No one moved and she scowled, pushing herself off the bed and limping towards her closet in search of warmer attire. She pulled a heavy sweatshirt over her head, glad her head was momentarily hidden under the fabric when she grimaced; every movement hurt. She didn't even want to imagine what condition her hand must have been in to be wrapped up so securely. None of that mattered right now, however. Tori was her main concern, and every minute they dawdled allowed whoever took her to get even further away.

"Jade." Beck's voice sounded behind her, he being the only one brave enough to approach her in such a mood. After dating for so long he knew how to gird his loins before stepping into battle with her; he knew how to steel himself against almost anything she could throw at him.

"Either help me or get the fuck out. That goes for all of you." She snapped, her voice laced with venom. She spun to face them and eyed them all accusingly – any attempt they made to stop her was just helping the kidnappers as far as she was concerned. Beck said nothing in reply. Instead he extended his hand and nodded towards the ski-pants in her hand, wagging his fingers in a silent request for her to hand them over.

She narrowed her gaze at him suspiciously before ultimately passing them off; after all, she had plenty of other pants if he decided to use that brilliant method to keep her in bed. To her surprise he knelt before her and unbuttoned them. "Hard to pull on pants with only one hand." He explained, motioning for her to step in. She put a hand on his shoulder to steady herself and did as he offered, briefly recalling all those passionate moments when he was doing the exact opposite. The memories vanished as quickly as they appeared, however; Tori was the only thing she could focus on at that time.

She stepped into her thick boots but didn't attempt to lace them, not that she could in her cast, and made her way unsteadily down the stairs, casting a sidelong glance to her companions that warned them that any attempt to stop her would not be well-received. Thankfully none of them did; they appeared to recognize her immediate need for information... Perhaps they even wanted to know for themselves if there was any news on Tori. She, Beck, Cat, Andre, Robbie, and Sikowitz made the short walk in absolute silence, their countenance grim as they trekked through the snow. Every so often Jade would notice Cat wringing her mittened hands and she knew the younger girl wished to speak, to find the right words to ease Jade's mind.

... Condolences couldn't help now, though. She knew, as the others did, that any peace she offered would be empty words, lies. As long as Tori was missing there was nothing anyone could say. Jade hoped, prayed, that any information Norris could provide would be start them in the right direction.

More than anything she wanted to beat the life out of that arrogant brunette that had made the mistake of jabbing that taser into the back of Tori's neck.

Within minutes they arrived at their destination and Jade, riled up now by recalling the recent encounter, pounded the door violently with her fist. She paused for a moment and listened for signs of activity before she resumed her actions, increasing the force behind her blows with each passing second until it opened suddenly, revealing a very exhausted, very flustered, Norris.

"Jade." He frowned. "I'm glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Who are they, Norris?" She brushed past him and into his home, leaving her friends awkwardly at the threshold. This was no time for pleasantries, a social construct she rarely complied with anyway.

He sighed and turned his attention to the group standing in the cold. "Come in. I'll put on the kettle. None of you should be out in this weather... Especially you two." He eyed Jade and Sikowitz pointedly before locking the door.

The pale girl crossed her arms defiantly and ignored his gesturing that she take a seat. Instead, she followed him to the kitchen and stared expectantly as he migrated from cabinet to cabinet for supplies. "Well?" She demanded.

"Lara and Lillie Childers." He placed the copper kettle on the hot stove and dropped in a few tea bags, avoiding eye contact as he did so.

"Who?"

"Lara and Lillie... It has to be them based on what Erwin told me."

"And who the fuckare they?" Jade snapped, suddenly infuriated that she had her ass kicked by someone named _Lillie_.

"Former citizens of Sanctum. Horsemen."

"Horsemen." She repeated. Tendrils of panic tightened themselves around her gut. "What would Horsemen want with Tori?"

Norris remained silent as he arranged a number of mugs on a tray. The seconds ticked by and Jade felt her patience wearing dangerously thin. By the time the kettle came to a boil she felt as if she was only seconds away from suffering such a fate, though hers would be far more dramatic than a shrill whistle. "What do you know of Marx?" He finally asked, removing pot from the stove and placing it with the mugs. He glanced up at her and cocked his head, motioning that she move so he could pass through to the living-room.

"Who?"

"Marx. Karl Marx?" She stared at him blankly and shook her head. "Marx believed that there were two kind of classes – the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The rich and the working class. He believed that the rich abused the poor and kept them down in menial conditions so they could maintain their comfortable lifestyles… I have his book, if you're interested." He motioned to his shelf against the back wall.

"I don't know. Is it going to tell me what you need to so I don't have to break your face?"

"He argued for revolution. He wanted the proletariat to overthrow the bourgeoisie and establish a new social order… communism. A classless, propertyless, moneyless, religionless, nationless (no national conflicts), non-exploitive, and self-governing society." Norris ignored her and began filling everyone's mug. "Lara and Lillie took a shining to Marx before Armageddon… I think it had something to do with a professor or college class they were in years ago. Either way, they took his message to heart. As far as they're concerned the revolution came when the virus slammed into us. They're taking it onto themselves to drag our crippled society into a new era and establish a new order."

"But why do they need Tori?" Cat chimed, thumbs tracing the rim of her cup. Her voice was soft and wavering and Jade frowned; she hadn't yet realized how badly Tori's disappearance had addled her. Robbie put a reassuring hand on her knee and squeezed, trying to comfort her.

"A figurehead?" Norris shrugged, stirring his own tea. None of them had yet to take a sip.

Jade continued to stare at Cat as silence descended upon their group. Everyone looked grim, anxious. All of them featured a "1000-yard stare," focusing on some object in the far distance as their worries consumed them. She allowed her eyes to wander over their faces, wondering just how dark her expression had been since she'd awoken.

But then her gaze settled on Norris and narrowed. Something wasn't right with him. His eyes, though unfocused, were darting around and never settling on anything for long. He drummed his fingers anxiously on the sides of his mug. He was agitated, nervous. The gears in her head began to turn, albeit slowly, and she played back the recent conversation. He knew too much, seemed too familiar, too comfortable, talking about Tori's kidnappers. "How do you know so much about them?" The tone in her voice was unmistakable and, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Robbie bristle and straighten. He knew it well by now, it was the tone that told him to run.

Norris chewed his lip and remained silent, as if weighing the potential consequences internally. "Norris." She demanded, snapping her fingers in his face.

"They used to live here."

"What? When?"

"They were co-founders of Sanctum. The three of us brought a small group of survivors here years ago and remodeled the town. We all used to live in the big lodge you're staying in now… after the smaller homes became inhabitable and everyone moved out the three of us remained there."

"What happened?" It was Sikowtiz's turn to speak. He had eased himself onto the arm of the couch next to Beck, as if the new revelation had been too much for him to handle.

"I wanted the city to be a Sanctuary for civilians and red-bands alike… we all knew that most of those accused were actually innocent anyway, you know? They didn't see it that way. They were _cheering_ for Armageddon. They wanted to start an army, lead a triumphant procession and reclaim town after town in the name of progress. It was a ridiculous plan and, one we fought about for months. I finally got fed up and made us take the issue to the people. We asked them: me or them?"

"And I'm guessing not everyone was as cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs?" Jade ventured.

"A few were, but the vote was overwhelmingly in my favor. We asked Lillie and Lara to leave, and to take their followers with them. Our town didn't want anything to do with them. I tried to maintain a relationship with them… I didn't want to end on bad terms. They're still fam…" He huffed, setting his mug down on the floor and pinching the bridge of his nose. He obviously hadn't intended to share that information. "Still family."

"Family?" Jade bellowed.

"Half-sisters." He confessed.

"Your _sisters_ kidnapped my girlfriend?" Her fists balled angrily at her side. "Well call them and make them to bring her back!"

"It's not that simple, Jade! They've refused my calls for years. They're livid with me… I'm honestly surprised they didn't try and burn the town down as revenge."

"But you know where they are?"

"I know where they_ were_. I've sent two men to scope out the area and see if they can't track them down, or at least find someone who can."

"That's not good enough, Norris. Where did you send them? Give me directions. I'm going after her."

"I can't let you do that."

The scientist perked her brow. "I'm sorry, _what_?" She stepped towards him, using their current height difference to her advantage to glare down at him. "You think you can stop me? Really?"

"I think I can." He countered, rising to his own feet and towering over her shorter frame. "You can't go after them, Jade. Lillie's… well, Lillie. She's psychopath-Barbie. I've seen her kill without giving a second thought. She wouldn't hesitate to shoot you down if you get in her way."

_The blonde_. Jade noted, recalling how viciously she had attacked. "If that's the case I'm definitely not going to sit here and twiddle my thumbs while I wait for them to maybe let Tori go!"

"Well there's honestly a better chance of that happening than you successfully rescuing her!" Norris countered. "They've already sent you down the river… literally!"

"I'm not leaving her!" She was screaming now, the blood pounding in her ears and making them hot. She'd start walking tonight if she had to – surely there would still be fresh tracks in the snow. She wasn't, she _couldn't_, just leave Tori with them. The Latina had come to her rescue more times than she could count, charging into battle without a second thought to her own safety.

"Jade – " Sikowitz interrupted.

"I'm _not_!" She snarled.

"I'm not suggesting you do that. Look at me. _Look_." He stepped between her and Norris to dissolve some of the tension and refocus her attention away from the angry man. "Your hand is crippled worse now than before you arrived. What do you think you're going to do when you catch up with them? You've got no advantage."

She glanced briefly at the bandage appendage. "What's your point?" She snapped.

"I'm asking you to give me a few days to level the playing field. I've been drawing up potential blue-prints since you and I began discussing your surgery. I think I've finally settled on the best option."

"Are you serious? I don't have time for you to cut off my hand!"

Sikowitz was already shaking his hand. "I found a less invasive root. A glove. Like Madison's."

Jade flashed back to that night at Phoenix, when the cyberkinetic Frankenstein had emerged from the shadows. Practically his entire body had been encased in some form of techno-armor. His hands, in particular, were twice their original size and enclosed within powerful machines. He was terrifying. More importantly, she recalled, he was weak. Tori had crushed his armor like a tin-can. She didn't want that to be her fate as well.

Sikowitz noticed her obvious hesitation. "Well, not _just_ like Madison's. Better. He had the right idea, he just didn't have the means to perfect it. I did, I figured it out." He took her bandaged hand in his own. "Let me do this, Jade. It'll give Norris time to gather information… give your troops time to prepare themselves."

"Troops?" She pulled her hand away and crossed her arms.

"You can't think you're going alone." Andre chimed. "Let's face it… if it wasn't for us back in Los Angeles you'd be six feet under right now."

The pale girl opened her mouth to argue when, unexpectedly, Robbie interrupted. "And besides… we all want to have words with Sinjin. And by words I mean we want to shove broken glass into his eyes." She blinked in surprise at his graphic choice of words – who would have thought he had it in him to be so violent?

Jade stared at each and every one of her friends and couldn't help but smile at their determined faces; none of them would take no for an answer. "Norris." She addressed, much calmer now. She placed a hand on Sikowitz's shoulder and he stepped to the side. "You've got a few days to get me as prepared as you can and then we're going to hunt them down. Understand?"

He nodded. "I'll be sending backup with you. No offense, but a couple of kids and a middle-aged man aren't going to be much of a threat to Lara and Lillie, not as determined as they are now."

"Fair enough. If they get in my way though I'm sending them back. I don't care about your sisters' plans. I'm going to get Tori and I'm coming home. If you want anything else you better tell your guys about it and make sure they follow through."

"We're all just worrying about Tori now. If I find out anything new from the scouting party I'll readjust the plans accordingly, but she's still going to be the prime objective." He replied.

Jade exhaled heavily and ran her good hand through her knotted hair. There was a lot that needed to be done quickly. "I need to see those blue-prints. How long before you can do the procedure?"

"At least a day to gather the necessary materials. If we're going to do this, we're going to do it right the first time. Robbie, Beck, Cat… I need your help to prepare."

"Kay-kay." Cat quipped, rising to her feet and bouncing on her heels. The other boys nodded in unison.

"What about me?" Andre wrung his hands anxiously. "What can I do to help?" He knew he wasn't tech-savvy enough to assist in preparation but that wouldn't let that stop him from being utilized in some fashion.

"Stay with Jade… Make sure she rests." Sikowitz ordered, glancing sidelong at the younger girl.

"Aw man. Sure, give me the impossible job." He huffed, dragging himself off the couch and to Jade's side. "Do you think you could give me an easy time tonight?" He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and squeezed it.

"Don't touch me." She barked, shrugging him away and stalking towards the door.

"Guess not." He sighed, snatching his coat off the couch and disappearing into the dark after her.

The rest of the group filed out shortly after in the direction of Sikowitz's current home. Norris shut the door behind them and deadbolted it, banging his head softly against the heavy wood as he lingered there. He hoped, prayed beyond all reason, that Tori could escape his sisters unscathed.

But knowing them? He knew he should probably just cross his fingers that she'd make it out alive.

* * *

{...}

Tori was queasy when she came to and wasn't entirely sure why. Her world around her rocked and swayed and she wondered, for a moment, if she had gotten drunk and passed out only to wake up still inebriated. It had happened before and hadn't made for a pleasant situation for anyone involved. Suddenly gravity tilted momentarily to the left and she followed suit, her head banging into something cold and metal. With a frustrated groan she forced her eyes open, panicking when she didn't immediately recognize her surroundings. What she became immediately aware of, however, was that the window above her head provided her with a picturesque winter scene that whizzed by at an alarming speed.

The next thing she became aware of was the fact that she was heavily restrained. In the bed of a truck.

She squirmed in the chains futilely; they were too tightly wrapped for her to get any kind of proper leverage. Her head throbbed as the vehicle continued to rock and she attempted to piece together the moments just before her "nap." "Jade… Sikowitz." She muttered, twisting her head to see if they might have been taken prisoner along with her. No… that wasn't right. They weren't there for Jade or Sikowitz. They had been there for her.

The question was though, who was them? And what did they want.

Tori wasn't eager to find out, especially once she recalled that they had been particularly interested in her cyberkinetics. This was Compass nonsense all over again. The Latina forced herself onto her back, wincing as her human arm wrenched with every pothole. She needed a plan… She _needed_ out of these chains. She glanced down at them and knitted her brows – these were logging chains, made from heavy steel and designed to secure timber. There's no way she could warp or snap them, not even with cyborg strength.

With the physics of the situation ruling out her one and only plan she did the next best thing: she started screaming. Maybe, if she could get her kidnappers to stop the truck and check on her, she could trick them into unlocking her bindings. It was a long shot, for sure, but it was the only one she had at this point. The longer she was in the car the further she taken from Jade and the rest of her family.

The truck rolled to a stop after a few moments and she heard the door sling open with the protesting screech of metal on metal. The tailgate dropped with a thud and, as her eyes adjusted to the light, Tori realized it was the brunette… Lara, wasn't it? And she wasn't pleased. "And what do you think you're doing?" She demanded. Tori noticed she was supporting a particularly nasty black eye, as well as other contusions and lacerations that she could see. She'd taken quite a beating from her and Jade… she could only imagine how everyone else looked in the aftermath.

"I think my arm is broken." Tori whimpered, lying through her teeth.

Lara narrowed her eyes and, for a moment, appeared to contemplate investigating the situation. "There's nothing I can do for you out here." She concluded with a shrug. "Lillie's supporting a few cracked bones herself, cyborg. We're just going to have to get the medic to look at you when we get to town. I would offer you something for the pain… but the image of you violently kicking my sister in the ribs is currently seared in my brain. I don't particularly feel like helping you right now."

Tori gulped; this chick could go head-to-head with her cantankerous girlfriend as far as death-glares and dangerous tones went. Lara was completely unnerving and hadn't made a cruel threat yet. "I'm warning you, however, if you don't clam up I'll do something incredibly unpleasant." Ah, vagueness… a quality Jade lacked. The two shared a moment of intense eye-contact before Lara, refusing to break it, slammed the tailgate instead. This plunged Tori back into near-darkness and left her with only her thoughts and fears. Her one plan had failed… She was completely at the mercy of these women, whoever they were, headed to some unknown destination, wherever it was, to participate in their master plan, whatever it was.

Things were looking particularly grim for the young cyborg.

Jade had come for her before, had rescued her from the Myles and Madison and brought her back from the brink of death. She tried to cling to the fleeting hope that _somehow_ the scientist would pull through for her again… It just didn't seem likely this time.

No. This time she was on her own. It was up to her to rescue herself. And, if she'd learned anything from Jade after all this time, it's that you either succeed or die trying, and take down as many bastards as you can in the process.


End file.
